Reflections on the impediments to information systems strategic alignment in public sector organisations identified through a processual lens

Why are there still issues in aligning information systems (IS) and business strategies despite the fact there has been over three decades of research? In this paper we reflect on the impediments to strategic alignment identified through a processual lens. Failure to align business and IS strategies may result in misused resources and failed IS projects. IS in Public Service Organisations (PSOs) has been discussed in the literature as an aid to delivering new and better services to citizens, increasing efficiency and transparency, and improving accountability in public sector procedures and management. Although challenges with alignment in the public sector are identified as a recurring theme by government audit functions, a review of the literature indicated that most studies were concentrated in the private sector, using a variance approach with few focused on strategic alignment within PSOs. A review of the literature identified an insufficient understanding of the impediments to IS alignment as an emerging strategic process in PSOs, from both a theory and practitioner perspective. This paper presents an interpretive processual longitudinal case study with alignment being viewed as an unfolding sequence of events necessitating a longitudinal approach to data collection. A process model of strategic alignment emerged from this case study illustrating the conditions, using process theories, under which certain impediments could be expected to occur therefore adding to existing knowledge on strategic alignment impediment. While the findings are from a single PSO, the results shed light on a globally-persistent management concern for the past thirty years.