Strategic IS alignment: The necessity for a hybrid framework linking shared vision, leadership, change management and diffusion theory

The rapid pace of business process change, partially fueled by information technology, is placing increasingly difficult demands on the organization. In many industries, organizations are required to evaluate and assess new information technologies and their organization-specific strategic potential, in order to remain competitive. The scanning, adoption and diffusion of this information technology must be carefully guided by strong strategic and technological leadership in order to infuse the organization and its members with strategic and technological visions, and to coordinate their diverse and decentralized expertise. This view of technological diffusion requires us to look beyond individuals and individual adoption, toward other levels of analysis and social theoretical viewpoints to promote the appropriate and heedful diffusion of often organization-wide information technologies. Particularly important is an examination of the diffusion champions and how a feasible and shared vision of the business and information technology can be created and communicated across organizational communities in order to unify, motivate and mobilize technology change process. The feasibility of this shared vision depends on its strategic fit and whether the shared vision is properly aligned with organizational objectives in order to filter and shape technological choice and diffusion. Shared vision is viewed as an organizational barometer for assessing the appropriateness of future technologies amidst a sea of overwhelming possibilities. We present a theoretical model to address an extended program of research focusing on important phases during diffusion, shared vision, change management and social alignment. We also make a call for further research into these theoretical linkages and into the development of feasible shared visions.