Differentiation of IT-strategy in health care: beyond IT alignment

• Information systems are playing a key role in the public management of health care as they have the potential to improve quality, efficiency, and patient care. Researchers as well as practitioners recurrently contend that a health care organization’s IS strategy should be aligned with the organization’s objectives and strategy, a notion commonly known as IT-alignment. This paper argues that such studies often views IT as one single and monolithic technological artefact and disregards that there are many types of IT depending of context, purpose and functionality. This perspective was also evident in the empirical data in our study. Therefore, this paper tries to develop a conceptualisation of different kinds of IT in health care that can used as a “sensitizing device” during corporate discussions of IT-investments. The findings are based on a longitudinal study of six health care organizations in the Stockholm metropolitan area. The empirical data collection was conducted during the years 2005-2010 through interviews, focus groups, observations, and archival data. The theoretical contribution is that this paper provides a new perspective beyond the IT alignment perspective in health care. The empirical contribution is constituted by showing how hospitals can re-think their approach to their IT-strategy and in doing so improve its service quality, efficiency, and patient care.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Ekonomi och näringsliv -- Företagsekonomi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Economics and Business -- Business Administration (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Business studies

Företagsekonomi

Företagsekonomi

Business Studies

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kon (subject category)