Achieving strategic alignment between business and information technology with information technology governance: the role of commitment to principles and Top Leadership Support

IT governance (ITG) is crucial in achieving IT strategic alignment, but many organizations find this to be an elusive goal. We thus expand ITG into two components: ITG mechanisms and ITG principles. We propose that beyond the mere option of ITG mechanisms, organizations must fully embrace the broader “spirit” of ITG, which occurs when an organization is committed to ITG principles coupled with top leadership support. To test our theorization, we first developed and validated two new measures. We used the ITG framework of COBIT to create a measure of commitment to COBIT principles (CCP), and we found that CCP fully mediates ITG mechanisms’ relationship with strategic alignment. We thus illuminate a missing link between adopting ITG mechanisms and achieving strategic alignment by demonstrating the need to focus on ITG principles. We show that top leadership support for IT, including support at the board level, not only enhances CCP but also directly contributes to improved strategic alignment. Our study establishes that adopting ITG mechanisms is necessary but insufficient for achieving strategic alignment. Effective organizations go beyond implementing isolated ITG mechanisms; they fully embrace integrated COBIT-based principles, guided by a strong infusion of top leadership support, including board-level support.