A Perspective on the Roles of Middle Managers in Aligning Strategy and Information Technology in Public Service Organizations

Abstract

The paper presents theoretical findings in relation to the roles of middle managers in strategic alignment situated in public service organizations based on a study of the Irish public healthcare system. Middle manager roles in strategic alignment is an area of under-represented interest and the paper aims to make a contribution to bridge that gap by offering a perspective based on gaining insight into the strategy process as it relates to information technology (IT) management and strategy-making. A process-oriented study traced a longitudinal case-series of five episodes of IT strategy-making which formed the basis for data collection and analysis. The study revealed six distinct roles as being relevant to middle managers in aligning strategy and IT. The findings are discussed as they relate to IT middle manager roles in strategic alignment, and middle manager strategic agency in public service.