Designing Business - Information Technology Alignment Continuity Management Framework for Ethio-Telecom
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Date
2022-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Achieving and maintaining continual busine s-information technology alignment (BfTA) is a
crucial enabler of corporate success in today 's changing business environment, technological
innovation, and competitive business world. However, maintaining and managing continuou
BfTA remains the main challenge in ethio telecom. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to
design a BITA continuity management framework that gUide the company on how to maintain
and manage continuous BIT A within a changing business and technology environment. The study
follows a design science research methodology to design the proposed framework. The re earch
entry pointfollowed is problem-centered approach. A qualitative research approach wasfollowed
to collect and analyze the data. Primary data was collected u 'ing interviews and observation.
Also, secondary data was collected using document analysis. Two chief officers, seven directors,
and twelve managers were selected using purposive sampling techniques from ethio telecoms
business and information system divisions management. Thematic analy is techniques were used
to analyze the collected data. The result of the study shows that there are challenges at ethio
telecom towards maintaining and managing BfTA continuity due to a lack of mutual leadership
and shared understanding between business and fS, in addition to minimal executive leadership
support and shared domain knowledge, as well a change in a telecom environment. Moreover,
based on the thematic analysis four main themes were generated, the 'e are continuous assessment,
continuous alignment, change management, and organizational culture. These themes are used to
formulate design requirements and define the objective of the solution. fn this study, the researcher
proposes the BITA Continuity management ji-amework with .five core component ยท: executive
leadership support, change management; continuous BfTA as 'essment in a regular time interval,
continuous alignment (plan, implement; and monitor), and creation of shared domain knowledge
through building a strong organizational culture. All the core activities are critical to maintaining
and managing BIT A continuity at ethio telecom. The proposedji-amework is demonstrated through
an illustrative case study with an example by taking a real telecom industry scenario and
evaluating it using a question-based method that consists of survey evaluation questioners and
expert interviews for user 's acceptance by selected experts Fom ethio telecom business and IS
division management. The evaluation result shows 93. 72% of the proposed framework was
accepted by the ethio telecom Management. The proposedFamework has a great contribution to
the ethio telecom industry by guiding them towards maintaining and managing BfTA continuity
within a changing business and technology environment as well as a competitive business world.
The evaluation result shows that 6.28% of the proposedframework was not accepted because it is
not in operation yet. Future research needs to consider applying the BITA continuity management
framework in other organizations or the telecom sector to jilrther evaluate the acceptance of the
framework.
Keywords: ethio telecom; Business IT Alignment; Continuous Business-IT Alignment; Alignment Continuity
Management; BIT A Continuity Management Framework
Description
Keywords
ethio telecom, Business IT Alignment, Continuous Business-IT Alignment, Alignment Continuity Management, BIT A Continuity Management Framework