Metaphors and strategic information systems planning

It is proposed that: metaphors perform a crucial role in enacting strategy and linking strategic thinking with IT planning; the war metaphor which underlies many of the previous discussions of SISs is inadequate, possibly obsolete, in today's environment, and the shift away from this metaphor in the past few years is evidence of this; alternative metaphors offer potentially more useful foundations for strategic thinking and SIS planning in today's world than the war metaphor; and explicit articulation and exploration of alternative metaphors are useful steps in identifying opportunities for strategic information technology (IT) applications, designing SISs for global enterprises and formulating research on SIS issues. The author outlines these arguments and identifies desirable characteristics of metaphors, discusses alternative metaphors of the organization as: an adapting organism, city-state, participants in organized team sports, an expression of philosophy, and expression of economic forces. The author concludes with suggestions for research on the use of metaphor in strategy formulation and IT planning.<>