Strategizing for Agility: Confronting Information Systems Inflexibility in Dynamic Environments

Abstract

Over the relatively short history of Information Systems planning and strategy, a major principle that has been taken as axiomatic in the mainstream literature relates to the concept of alignment.This often means that information and communication technology (ICT) systems should somehow align with an organization's business strategy.This is a self evident truth, surely?But when we come to examine this truth, we begin to uncover a number of problems and issues that need to be addressed.One such relates to the dynamic nature of an organization's business environment and the consequent need for flexible-or agile-IS.A second issue relates to our inability to foresee the future and the attendant-changing-^business information requirements that will come with it.A third relates to the role that information can play in informing agile responses to changing circumstances and imperatives-a proactive, rather than reactive, role for IS, in other words.Professor Galliers' keynote address aims to make a contribution to the conference by addressing these three issues, and by identifying what this means for agile IS strategy-or more appropriately, IS strategizing.His presentation will take an alternative perspective to the norm in that it will focus more on the process of IS strategizing rather than on the outcome of the process-the IS strategy itself.He will argue that benefit is to be gained from a more critical, inclusive, exploratory, postmodernist approach to the IS strategy process.This perspective can be contrasted with the common view, which is concerned more with exploiting the potential of ICT systems for business gain.An attempt at synthesizing the arguments arising from a consideration of the problems associated with the somewhat mechanistic treatment of alignment found in the mainstream literature will be attempted by utilizing concepts of architecture and infrastructure, of knowledge creation and sharing, and of ambidextrous organizations, with a view to refining an earlier sensemaking device of his: IS strategizing framework.Professor Galliers joined Bentley College in the

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