The institutional complexity of achieving business/IT alignment A qualitative study performed at a Swedish telecom company

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to identify the complexity of why it is hard to achieve business/IT alignment. This is investigated from the social dimension at a Swedish telecom company. The study has a qualitative approach and the data is collected by conducting 16 interviews and 4 observations. The analysis of the field data is done by using a practice lens of institutional logics. This framework is used to understand the complex interplay among social actors working at the company's IT and business department. The purpose is first to understand how respective department act and how their relationship unfolds in practice. Secondly, it is to understand the implications on business/IT alignment. The study presents three main findings which adds institutional complexity when aiming for alignment; different pace in an external and internal world, the importance of materialization practices, and the consequences of implementing a new management practice. Those findings explain the institutional complexity when aiming for alignment and why social difficulties arise. Furthermore, those findings identify benefits from friction and highlight the consequences of segmenting, hybridizing and black-boxing social domains and practice repertoires. Altogether, this paper provides new insights into the challenges of achieving business/IT alignment, while it also highlights the importance of embracing institutional complexity rather than trying to resolve it.