IT Governance Processes and IT Alignment: Viewpoints from the Board of Directors

This research empirically examines the role of the board of directors in driving IT alignment. We develop a model that links governance initiators, governance practices, and IT alignment. The strategic importance of IT acts as initiator of governance practices, including direct involvement of the board of directors in the management of IT, CIO communications with the board, strategic consideration of IT investments, and the quantity and usefulness of the IT information provided to the board. Using an extensive survey of 256 members of board of directors, we found that three firm governance practices are influenced by the strategic importance of IT and all four are associated with increased levels of IT alignment, indicating that the board plays a meaningful role in monitoring and facilitating processes involving IT. While a great deal of research has identified the importance of the board of directors in firm operations, this is among the first papers to empirically examine this role.