Effects Of Information Technology Alignment On Organizational Agility

The rapid development and change of information technology(IT)and market make IT alignment and organizational agility be the emphasis of scholars and managers.However,the vast majority of scholar's study IT alignment and agility separately,and the relationship between them has not been the focus among the academic circles,because managers take them as two parallel organizational goals.In the process of using information technology,managers except achieving the short–term benefit of IT alignment and consider the long-term potential of agility.Managers often be in a dilemma between the two conflicting organizational goals.On the one hand,managers try to improve the short–term benefit by realizing IT alignment,on the other hand,they make sure the long-term development by applying the IT to enhance the agility.In order to explore the relationship between information technology alignment and organizational agility.Firstly,analyzing systematically two competing views of the alignment-agility link(IT alignment facilitates or impedes agility)from the behavioral,cognitive,economic and technological perspectives.Secondly,one research model that includes IT alignment,organizational agility,organizational performance,environmental dynamism and business strategy is brought forward to test the effects of IT alignment on firm agility.Thirdly,comparing fit of moderation,matching and profile deviation,and choosing the more suitable calculation method of empirical research.Lastly,based the model of IT alignment and organizational agility,exploring the difference between IT alignment and organizational agility or between organizational agility and organizational performance in different market environment and business strategy.According to the measure of IT alignment,the results indicate that the result of moderation and matching has deviation.And fit of profile deviation is the more suitable calculation method of empirical research.The model results indicate that there is no significant relationship between information technology alignment and organizational agility,but there is a positive and significant link between organizational agility and organizational performance.Considering the moderating role of environmental dynamism,we found that information technology alignment has no impact on organizational agility,and organizational agility has no impacts on organizational performance in stable settings.However,information technology alignment has a great impact on organizational agility,and organizational agility have a great impact on organizational performance in volatile settings.Considering the moderating role of business strategy,no matter what enterprise strategy is adopted,organizational agility is always positively associated organizational performance.For defenders,there is no obviously link between information technology alignment and organizational agility.But for prospectors and analyzers,there is a positive and significant link between information technology alignment and organizational agility.