A Holistic Information Systems Strategy for Organisational Management — Hissom

Abstract

This paper describes a practical, holistic model, HISSOM, for the integrated management and co-ordination of Information Systems Strategy, ISS, as part of an organisation’s strategic planning and management process. The HISSOM model helps to assess the fitness for purpose of an organisation’s IS capability, and to focus the IS capability on supporting the achievement of organisational goals. An overview is given of four key, historic, often conflicting and non-integrated, perspectives that have influenced IS developments in organisations: Academic/Governmental; Management; IS Development; and Organisational Capability. This paper describes the significant impact that each of these perspectives has had on the development of IS capability within organisations, but also how each has failed to achieve the key goal of cohesion between IS and organisational strategy.

HISSOM is briefly summarised in its role of managing and co-ordinating five different, frequently competing, real-world organisational perspectives, through an integrated, multi-dimensional model, in pursuit of delivering organisational goals.

The development of the HISSOM model is nearing completion, following which a case study on the use of HISSOM in a real organisational setting is planned, which will be reported early next year.