Inter-organisational alignment to enhance information technology (IT) driven services innovation in a supply chain: the case of radio frequency identification (RFID)

Abstract

International audienceFirms cannot be competitive if their information systems (ISs) and business strategies are not aligned. The strategic alignment model (SAM) developed by Henderson and Venkatraman (Strategic alignment: leveraging information technology (IT) for transforming organizations. IBM Systems Journal, 38 (2/3), 472-484.) considers strategic alignment as a stand-alone challenge between a company and its IS. This concern of alignment has not been empirically extended to the inter-organisational level. This research raises the question of inter-organisational alignment and follows how companies, embedded in a supply chain (SC), adapt their ISs and organisations while implementing IT-driven innovation. We conducted a case study on a radio frequency identification (RFID) project in a jewellery SC. This SC is made of a middle-sized retailer (MSR), composed of headquarters and 80 stores, and one single supplier, a logistic service provider (LSP). By combining an RFID project framework and the SAM, this study provides some answers to the dynamics of alignment and highlights various sequences according to the different phases of the project. Through a single case study, this article finally proposes to extend the alignment perspectives of the SAM to the inter-organisational level

From a systematic literature review to integrated definition for sustainable supply chain innovation (SSCI)

“…Six Sigma 105 Social Theory 3,43,58,65,69,72,97 Stakeholder Theory 33,44,52,60,84 Strategic Approach 16,67,67,86,92 Structural 4,6,12,17,26,28,34,38,43,61,86,96 Triple Bottom Line 52, 91…”

Strategic Alignment IT-Business: Towards a Proactive e-Public Sector

“…As the business environment is continuously changing and IT innovations are plentiful, strategic alignment should not be viewed as a state, but as a process of continuous change and adaptation over time, to optimize performance (Neubert et al, 2011).…”

“…Moreover, the area of impact is one that will be affected directly by the changes made in the pivot, through the realignment. Therefore, there is not a single strategic alignment, but a combination of strategic intra and inter-organizational alignments (Neubert et al, 2011).…”

Addressing alignment concerns into the design of domain-specific information systems

“…The second research stream is more recent and consists in adapting the SAM to other research fields. For example, in the area of inter-organisational IS alignment, the SAM is used as a basis to support this specific kind of alignment (Neubert et al, 2011;Sun and Lai, 2011). It is also used in enterprise architecture design (Lopata et al, 2011;Wang et al, 2008) and IT service management (Esmaili et al, 2010).…”