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The purpose of this paper is to examine a recent comprehensive corporate real estate (CRE) alignment model which was derived from previous CRE alignment models. This study proposes several modifications and additions based on business and decision-making literature to increase the framework’s multidisciplinary strength and extend its implementation phase.

Literature from various fields is reviewed and “lessons” incorporated into the framework. The business literature review began with corporate strategy theories cited in CRE alignment theory and extended to critiques of those and more recent theories. Likewise, decision-making and implementation both began with material cited in CRE literature and “rippled” out to encompass pertinent material.

The model used provides a robust framework, and this study has identified several areas that would appear to improve that model from a theoretical and practical perspective. Areas of further research are identified that appear to offer opportunities to further develop the framework.

Historically, there has been a tendency for new CRE alignment models to be created rather than existing ones being developed further. Here, a framework derived from a meta-study of CRE alignment models is reviewed, and improvements are proposed to further develop CRE alignment theory and its application in practice through the addition of viewpoints from the business field and more focus on the implementation phase of the model.

The purpose of this paper was to test and explore alignment theory as a guiding principle for human resource development (HRD) by performing an empirical study. HRD scholars, professionals and others have adopted or assumed alignment theory to help explain HRD effectiveness.

Constructs to measure an organisation’s strategic priorities and its HRD practices. A measure of HRD effectiveness was developed. A survey gathered data from 270 employees, managers and HRD staff in a sample of 76 organisations.

The results show that HRD effectiveness does not vary with alignment as predicted. Forms of partial alignment, or the relations of an “odd couple”, are more strongly associated with HRD effectiveness than high alignment.

The use and integration of both normative measures (Likert scale) and ipsative measures (ranking) is necessary to capture alignment, but this limits the inferential statistics available to test validity and reliability. Qualitative data on case studies would be useful to explore alignment issues in context and depth.

Stakeholders in organisations can use the “odd couple” interpretation of alignment as a fresh way to review and explore the opportunities and challenges of managing HRD effectiveness in an era where a narrowing and retrenchment of provisions is occurring and increasing.

This study provides evidence which raises questions about alignment theory and policies intended to increase alignment. It suggests in the case of HRD, an alternative perspective that validates partial alignment can support effective HRD provisions.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical model for the in‐depth study of organizations, producing a framework which makes it possible to clarify many propositions and to specifically test the theory. In order to carry out this assignment, the paper has two sub‐objectives.

The first one studies the adaptation of the internal culture‐structure variables as a way to determine the congruity of the components of the companies which form the real structure and to study the behavior that is expected from the people in the organization. The second sub‐aim is to analyze whether the partial adaptations of real structure mentioned above are orientated correctly towards the achievement of the strategic aims. Only a suitable design of the real structure which in turn enables the attainment of the aims raised by the strategy will give rise to the obtaining of a suitable level of efficiency.

The key contribution of the paper is to render operative in practical terms such a diffuse concept as is the alignment model.

Alignment theory has been combined with configuration theory to detect the ideal cultural, structural, and strategic options and making the comparison with the real forms possible in order to analyze the possible deviations and to predict the level of efficiency.

Identifying the state of alignment, when there is misalignment, and the path to achieve alignment are of central importance to decision makers today. This paper seeks to offer decision makers some actionable guidance in narrowing the search for possible solution methodologies and to develop a generalized decision alignment framework that can be applied to real decision problems.

Alignment is viewed as a goal of decision makers and the correct matching of decision and action is essential to achieving consistently high performance. Drawing on parallels with the duality problem in linear programming, decision alignment is defined. The decision alignment framework is theoretically developed using examples from a diverse application set, including quantitative research, decision making, education, and e‐commerce.

The evidence shows that good research conforms to the decision alignment framework and poor research violates it. Similarly, good decisions conform to the decision alignment framework and poor decisions violate it. The decision alignment framework guides decision makers in constraining and redefining problems to optimize outcome performance, and shows the importance of addressing the dual problem of learning and understanding the phenomena.

The theoretical foundation developed can be used to promote future research in decision alignment. By providing a theoretically derived framework, rich opportunities for empirical testing are offered. Researchers are also given guidance on how alignment research can be conducted.

The examples presented highlight the prescriptive, communicative, and descriptive value of the decision alignment framework. Practitioners are provided with examples for using the decision alignment framework to build toolboxes of approaches that can be aligned to a characterization of real‐world decision problems to improve performance.

The introduction of a decision alignment framework is a significant contribution to the management decision literature. By introducing a decision alignment framework, the rather ambiguous term alignment is precisely defined as the matching of decision problem characterization (primal problem) with the approach possibility set (dual problem).

This paper aims to explore how purchasing could respond to disruptive technologies by examining the assumptions underlying purchasing strategic alignment and purchasing maturity through a contingency lens.

This study uses a systematic review across purchasing maturity and purchasing strategic alignment literature. This is supplemented with exploratory case studies to include practitioners’ views.

This research demonstrates that neither purchasing maturity nor purchasing strategic alignment are suitable approaches to respond to disruptive technologies. Purchasing maturity does not allow purchasing managers to select relevant practices. It also shows no consideration of any contingencies, which practitioners highlight as important for the selection of practices. Purchasing strategic alignment includes the company strategy as a contingency but does not provide any practices to choose from. It does not include any other contextual contingencies considered important by practitioners. The findings indicate that linking the two research streams may provide a more suitable approach to responding to disruptive technologies.

This research demonstrates the requirement to develop a new approach to responding to disruptive technologies, by linking purchasing maturity and purchasing strategic alignment to contextual contingencies. This is a currently unexplored approach in academic literature, which refutes the generally accepted premise that higher maturity unilaterally supports a better positioning towards technological disruption. This research also highlights a requirement for practitioners to shift their approach to “best practices”.

This is the first research to systematically review the relationships between purchasing maturity and purchasing strategic alignment. It adds to contingency theory by suggesting that purchasing maturity models can support the achievement of strategic alignment. Also, future research directions are suggested to explore these relationships.

Market deregulation in the utilities sector has led to increased competition and rising customer expectations in both established and new markets. This, in turn, has forced organisations such as electricity and telecoms to make rapid, enterprise-wide changes on an increasingly frequent basis which in turn has led to problems with alignment. Misalignment can occur at many levels and can result in misused resources, loss of competitiveness, excessive cycle times, higher costs and loss of agility. The purpose of this paper is twofold. Given the lack of overarching theory, the paper begins by borrowing from contingency, dynamic capability and organisational learning constructs, to explore the role that performance measurement models can bring to improve the alignment between business strategy and functional strategy (level 1 alignment). Second, the paper analyses the role of performance measurement models in developing functional practices aligned with supply chain management (SCM) strategies (level 2 alignment).

The study adopts an exploratory theory-building approach using four case studies. These are used as key supply chains in both established and new business areas within two longitudinal university-industry research partnerships (each of three years duration). Data from repeat interviews (n=42), focus groups (n=10), documentation and observations is analysed and forms the basis for the development of a conceptual framework and a set of related propositions. The data analysis followed Radnor and Boaden's (2004) method for analysing interpretive research.

The findings show the role and impact of performance measurement models and methods on alignment at two levels, i.e. level 1 alignment – between business strategy and functional (SCM) strategy, and level 2 alignment – between the functional strategy (SCM) and SCM routines and practices.

To date, there are few studies which explore the development of theory and practice in relation to the role and impact of performance measurement models and methods in improving organisational alignment. This exploratory theory building study makes a contribution to this gap through the development of the conceptual framework and propositions.

The purpose of the study is to inquire into and to provide an integrated framework of academics’ and practitioners’ conversations on corporate brand alignment.

A systematic literature review (with no time restrictions) was used to identify relevant journal publications from the years 2000 to 2013. Based on the retrieved articles, the Hegelian dialectic triad of “thesis, antithesis and synthesis” was used to inquire into conventional thinking on corporate brand management (i.e. through corporate brand alignment).

The final sample of 59 articles brought to light a theory of corporate brand alignment, its recent contradictions and critiques and scholars’ attempts to unify them into an integrated framework. Three main perspectives emerged, suggesting that corporate brand could be managed through aligned (i.e. thesis), separated (i.e. antithesis) or mixed approaches (i.e. synthesis).

This research considers only English peer-reviewed journal articles retrieved from the EBSCO and WOS databases.

This work proposes a contingency approach to corporate brand management, suggesting that there is no single best way of managing a corporate brand: aligned, separated and mixed approaches can be equally successful. Despite the choice of model (which arises from the analysis of the corporate brand meanings, stakeholders and contexts), three transversal corporate brand management imperatives emerged: the delivery of the corporate brand promise, the co-construction of corporate brand meanings and the recognition of the dynamic nature of corporate brands.

This study applies a product centric view to examine three product development (PD) decisions that relate to a new product and its supply chain (SC): product design, sourcing strategy and product delivery strategy (PDS). The purpose of this paper is to expand the understanding of alignment decisions in this area to include concurrent compatibility between product design, SC strategy and market conditions.

The study leverages existing theory to identify the key dimensions of alignment between product design, SC strategy and market conditions in a conceptual model. Using survey data from 124 new PD projects collected from various industries, the authors then empirically test the impact of multiple alignment decisions on new product introductions (NPIs) performance.

The results suggest that one specific project-level design parameter (interface intensity) is a key alignment dimension for product design decisions. Specifically, the authors find that alignment between interface intensity and sourcing strategy, as well as between interface intensity and clock-speed improves NPI performance. Additionally, the authors find evidence that three-way alignment between PDS, interface intensity and market volatility will benefit NPI performance.

Because the study is cross-sectional and conducted at the project level, future work should continue this line of inquiry with longitudinal exams and across a families of development projects.

The findings inform the deliberate management of the PD/SC interface and provide managers with quantitative benefits of concurrent alignment decisions.

This study identifies and addresses important deficits in the understanding of concurrent alignment between product design, SC strategy and market conditions.

Drawing on established alignment and architectural theory, this paper seeks to present the argument that an organisation's enterprise architecture can enable the alignment of business strategy and information systems and technology (IS/IT).

The paper presents a detailed case study of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), where a high degree of alignment and international recognition of excellence in business and enabling IS/IT performance are documented.

The ABS enterprise architecture was developed in 1999‐2001 and describes the organisation's physical business and IS/IT elements, and the connective relationships that inform the alignment condition. The ABS architecture is robustly holistic in form, and is characterised by a strong and equal focus on business operations, the deliberate inclusion of an IS/IT governance framework, the structuring and hosting of corporate information for business delivery, and the efficient reuse of IS/IT components.

The ABS case study also examined empirically the social aspects and formal mechanisms of organisational alignment, and shows how a formal enterprise architecture mechanism can integrate into a successful alignment process.

Aims to conduct an exploratory study on the organisational implications of strategic alignment within the steel stockholder supply chain by analysing the responses of a case study organisation. Increasingly fragmented and volatile markets result in pressure on organisations to strategically align all aspects of their supply chain to ensure rapid and appropriate responsiveness. There is a paucity of research in this area in the steel stockholder supply chain. A strategic alignment model was selected which incorporated alignment from four key aspects, namely markets, strategy, culture and leadership style. The model is used as an analysis framework for a case study in the steel stockholder supply chain. Data collection included a survey of a stratified sample of customers, company archive and organisational material and semi‐structured interviews. The implications for the supply chain and the organisation’s response are discussed and evaluated.