Information Technology Alignment in the Canadian Forces

• Published in: Canadian journal of administrative sciences 2000-12, Vol.17 (4), p.285-302
• Main Authors: Hartung, Sharon, Reich, Blaize Homer, Benbasat, Izak
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Armed forces; Corporate planning; Information technology; Long term planning; Management; Military bases; Military personnel; Short term; Software; Studies
• ISSN: 0825-0383; 1936-4490
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1936-4490.2000.tb00229.x

This paper reports on a study of alignment between organizational and information technology (IT) objectives as found in the Canadian Forces at the base, or business unit, level. Eight Canadian Forces sites were examined to assess their current state of long‐ and short‐term alignment and to determine which factors influence this alignment. This study determined that parts of a model developed to explain alignment in the far‐profit sector were applicable to the Canadian Forces. One major difference stems from the historic practice of short‐term (year to year) planning horizons in the Forces. This has created a situation in which no long‐term alignment is present. Another, related difference was the lack of connection between business and IT planning due to the relatively immature business planning processes within the Forces. Based on this study, the authors recommend that the Canadian Forces pay more attention to the knowledge bases of people they hire and promote into IT positions and that they explicitly assist Administration branch personnel to gain more IT knowledge. We also suggest mechanisms to foster discussion of IT, such as steering groups and education sessions. In addition, if effective consideration of IT becomes a part of the business planning process, military organizations such as the Canadian Forces may begin to extract the full benefit and advantage from modern technological developments and procedures. Résumé Notre article rend compte d'une étude portant sur l'har‐monisation des objectifs organisationnels et des objectifs en matière de technologie de l'information au niveau de la base—l'unité fonctionnelle—dans les Forces cana‐diennes (FC). Nous avons étudié huit unités fonction‐nelles des FC afin de déterminer non seulement où en est l'harmonisation à court et à long terme, mais aussi quels en sont les facteurs déterminants. Notre étude vise à démontrer que certains éléments du modéle qui a été mis au point pour expliquer l'harmonisation des objectifs dans les corporations à but lucratif s'appliquent également aux FC. Par contre, la pratique séculaire de la planification à court terme (une année à la fois) qui caractérise les FC s'écarte sensiblement de ce modéle et n'a donc pas permis d'harmoniser les objectifs à long terme (en d'autres mots, de développer une vision commune dans le domaine de la technologie de l'information). En effet, il n'existe aucun lien entre la planification des opérations et la planification liée à la technologi