Information Systems Strategy Formation Embedded into a Continuous Organizational Learning Process

Organizational mechanisms for successful IS/IT strategic planning in the digital era

“…Table III lists the stakeholder groups involved in IS/IT strategic planning and compares their key characteristics: expertise, typical IS awareness, stakeholder power, and contributions to SISP. IS/IT strategic planning requires views from a range of stakeholders (namely, individual level mental models) and the interaction of these stakeholders to achieve common goals (namely, shared mental models at the organizational level) (Kim, 1993;Auer and Reponen, 1997). Different managerial groups should participate in planning, increasing mutual understanding of the use of the information resources.…”

“…The outcome of an IS strategy process should be increased understanding of IS opportunities and constraints and a shared view of IS utilization. Consequently, the learning perspective must be considered in the IS/IT strategic planning process (Reponen, 1993;Auer and Reponen, 1997). Strategy formation is a learning process in which management itself is a learning unit.…”

“…Strategy formation is a learning process in which management itself is a learning unit. Consequently, strategy formation requires multiple views from different stakeholders and their interaction to achieve common goals (Kim, 1993;Auer and Reponen, 1997). Auer and Reponen (1997) argued that strategy process can be used to build shared mental models and enhance managerial abilities.…”

“…Furthermore, while numerous studies of ISSP have been conducted, few have focused on examining the relationships between organizational mechanisms and the effectiveness of ISSP. The IS literature provides a wide range of normative and descriptive models for undertaking IS/IT strategic planning, but neglects the organizational aspects of IS/IT strategic planning.``Increasingly, psychological, social and political behavioural processes have been found to be important in influencing the effectiveness of strategy formulation'' (Auer and Reponen, 1997). Hackney and Little (1999) further pointed out that organizational decisions are significantly influenced by cultural, political and power-behavioural situations.…”

“…Consequently, appropriate organizational constructs and interesting perspectives of ISSP are required to enhance our knowledge of the complexities of ISSP (Auer and Reponen, 1997).…”