Abstract

This paper summarises a book-in-progress, and aims to air the book's findings thus far as part of the research process. It is - and is not - about Business-IT Alignment. It is not, in that "alignment" has been found to suffer from 'underconceptualisation‟, and it is in this sense that the paper is not about what is considered to be a narrowly focused alignment paradigm. The term "Joined Up" is used to signal a broad-based, systemic approach to this fundamental issue for the field of Information Systems. The paper is based, firstly, on a 12-part JUMP (joined-up means payback) Model, which describes IT in Organisations, with the central theme of Information Value for Business Value. At the same time, the Model serves as a systemic framework for joining up Business and IT. It is based on a comprehensive review of the literature using the Constant Comparative Method of Grounded Theory, and a global, Delphic survey. Secondly, the paper is based on the development of Business-IT Synergy Theory, and its use in a seven-themed JUMP Process. The Process utilises Model and Theory in the development of actions to achieve joined-up in the organisational setting. Thirdly, the paper and its JUMP approach are based on Systems Thinking, which is seen as the 'X-Factor' in and for a joined-up organisation's culture. Ten Principles of Systems Thinking are therefore summarised and enunciated. There is not the space to include the Action Learning approach to business change & implementation, the assessment of information value, or the use of the JUMP Model for teaching IT-in-Organisations, but questions and comments are welcomed

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