Content area
Full Text
Introduction: alignment theory
Alignment theory is one of the most modern approaches used to explain organizational efficiency. It aims at the need for coherence among the cultural, structural, and strategic components of an organization. The seminal analytical framework for the study of congruence is [50] Nadler and Tushman (1988) model. The main assumption of the model is that, in order to achieve effectiveness, each part or component must be directed and structured in the correct way, suited to each other ([50] Nadler and Tushman, 1988). The organization and its components are means to implement strategy, the interactions between components imply a mutual influence on each other, and the necessity exists to adapt them to achieve adequate results. The study of the link and congruence between formal and informal elements of the organization continues to constitute one of the principal challenges to organizational design researchers ([26] Gresov, 1989; [41] Kristof, 1996).
New organizational alignment theory ([60] Semler, 1997), derived from Nadler and Tushman's general model analyzes the importance of this relationship. Strong alignment requires agreement rather than conflict between the strategic, structural, and cultural variables ([47] Merron, 1994). The literature distinguished between two types of organizational alignment: vertical and horizontal or lateral ([38] Kathuria et al. , 2007). Vertical alignment refers to the configuration of strategies, objectives [...] throughout the various levels of the organization and horizontal alignment can be defined in terms of cross-functional and intra-functional integration. As [48] Middleton and Harper (2004, p. 329) said "alignment is vital as it enables a business to respond to its external environment and so perform effectively." Alignment is hard to measure but severe misalignment is easier to see. The role of alignment in organizational performance is advocated by leading managers.
Nevertheless, alignment statements are made in exceedingly generic terms, and in order to study these, it is necessary to specify the relationships. It is necessary to point out that the concept of alignment is not easy to manage from a practical point of view, in the sense that it is a variable or a concept which is difficult to measure in itself[1] ([5] Assouline and Meir, 1987; [20] Edwards, 1995; [30] Hinings et al. , 1996). Current models that incorporate the concept of organizational alignment offer...