Assessing Business - IT Alignment Maturity in a Healthcare System by Using the Scoring pattern (Case study: Iran University of Medical Sciences)

Alignment is a key factor in creating competitive advantage, value and realizing the goals of organization, and the permanent concern of managers. In "Healthcare system", in addition to environmental dynamism, the plurality of Business is the challenge to achieving alignment. Alignment requires a strategic attitude and the participation of all managers and the starting point of this process is to understand the position of the organization. The purpose of this study was assessing the Business-IT Alignment Maturity of "Iran University of Medical Sciences" and provides a strategy for promoting it.
This descriptive-survey research was conducted in the summer of 2017. The research population was "Iran University" managers, who were divided into three areas: executive, educational and IT. The stratified random sampling method was used and the sample size was 122. For data collection, the Liftman questionnaire (2015) was used. Data analysis was performed with SPSS and Friedman tests.
The mean of alignment was 2.55. "Infrastructure", "partnership", "skills", "communication", "competency" and "governance" were ranked first to sixth (2.78, 2.67, 2.64, 2.63, 2.49, and 2.17). Also, the scoring patterns of alignment dimensions were different in businesses of the organization.
The organization was in the second level of alignment maturity and the goal should be the third level. The situation of "infrastructure" and "partnership" was appropriate, but "governance" and "competency" were not favorable. The organization needs a change in the "governance" of IT. It is also necessary to integrate the attitudes of managers in different areas of the organization.