A social capital dimensional approach to Business-IT alignment

This paper examines the role that social capital plays in organisations in order to create alignment between the IT and business communities. Business and IT communities seem often to have little in common with each other and experience difficulties sharing objectives, deliverables and even communicating with each other. The heart of the problem lies in the fact that the business and IT organisations do not perceive themselves as part of a common, unified organisation. Beginning with the premise the absence of social capital is destroyer of alignment, the paper suggests that where social capital is built across the boundaries of the business and IT organisations, this leads to collective efficacy or superior performance. This is elaborated in a dimensional framework comprising the dimensions and attributes of social capital. Collective efficacy and superior performance are seen when the IT and business organisations are aligned through social capital