Striving towards strategic IT & business alignment in small and medium-sized electric utilities-a pragmatic approach

Based on case research, this paper highlights critical issues in achieving alignment between business and IT strategies in small and medium-sized electric utilities. The paper investigates potential benefits of using well-established frameworks as tools for decision support in strategic IT management, and obstacles in implementing such frameworks. Finally, the paper provides suggestions to circumvent the obstacles by proposing an alternative, more pragmatic, approach for strategic planning found to be suitable for small and medium-sized utilities where resources for strategic IT management are scarce