Generative AI Value Creation in Business-IT Collaboration: A Social IS Alignment Perspective
Lukas Grützner, Moritz Goldmann, Michael H. Breitner
This study empirically assesses the impact of Generative AI (GenAI) on the social aspects of business-IT collaboration. Using a literature review, an expert survey, and statistical modeling, the research explores how GenAI influences communication, mutual understanding, and knowledge sharing between business and technology departments.
Problem
While aligning IT with business strategy is crucial for organizational success, the social dimension of this alignment—how people communicate and collaborate—is often underexplored. With the rapid integration of GenAI into workplaces, there is a significant research gap concerning how these new tools reshape the critical human interactions between business and IT teams.
Outcome
- GenAI significantly improves formal business-IT collaboration by enhancing structured knowledge sharing, promoting the use of a common language, and increasing formal interactions. - The technology helps bridge knowledge gaps by making technical information more accessible to business leaders and business context clearer to IT leaders. - GenAI has no significant impact on informal social interactions, such as networking and trust-building, which remain dependent on human-driven leadership and engagement. - Management must strategically integrate GenAI to leverage its benefits for formal communication while actively fostering an environment that supports crucial interpersonal collaboration.
Host: Welcome to A.I.S. Insights, the podcast at the intersection of business, technology, and human ingenuity, powered by Living Knowledge. I’m your host, Anna Ivy Summers. Host: Today, we're diving into how Generative AI is changing one of the most critical relationships in any company: the collaboration between business and IT departments. Host: We’re exploring a fascinating study titled "Generative AI Value Creation in Business-IT Collaboration: A Social IS Alignment Perspective". It empirically assesses how tools like ChatGPT are influencing communication, mutual understanding, and knowledge sharing between these essential teams. Host: And to help us unpack this, we have our expert analyst, Alex Ian Sutherland. Welcome, Alex. Expert: Great to be here, Anna. Host: Alex, let's start with the big picture. Getting business and IT teams on the same page has always been a challenge, but why is this 'social alignment', as the study calls it, so critical right now? Expert: It’s critical because technical integration isn't enough for success. Social alignment is about the human element—the relationships, shared values, and mutual understanding between business and IT leaders. Expert: Without it, organizations see reduced benefits from their tech investments and lose strategic agility. With GenAI entering the workplace so rapidly, there's been a huge question mark over whether these tools help or hinder those crucial human connections. Host: So there's a real gap in our understanding. How did the researchers go about measuring something as intangible as human collaboration? Expert: They used a really robust, three-part approach. First, they conducted an extensive literature review to build a solid theoretical foundation. Then, they surveyed 61 senior executives from both business and IT across multiple countries to get real-world data. Expert: Finally, they used a sophisticated statistical model to analyze those survey responses, allowing them to pinpoint the specific ways GenAI usage impacts collaboration. Host: That sounds very thorough. Let's get to the results. What did they find? Expert: The findings were fascinating, primarily because of the distinction they revealed. The study found that GenAI significantly improves *formal* collaboration. Host: What do you mean by formal collaboration in this context? Expert: Think of the structured parts of work. GenAI excels at enhancing structured knowledge sharing, creating standardized reports, and helping to establish a common language between departments. For instance, it can translate complex technical specs into a simple summary for a business leader. Host: So it helps with the official processes. What about the other side of the coin? Expert: That's the most important finding. The study showed that GenAI has no significant impact on *informal* social interactions. These are the human-driven activities like networking, building trust over lunch, or spontaneous chats in the hallway that often lead to breakthroughs. Those remain entirely dependent on human leadership and engagement. Host: So GenAI is a tool for structure, but not a replacement for relationships. Did the study find it helps bridge the knowledge gap between these teams? Expert: Absolutely. This was another major outcome. GenAI acts as a kind of universal translator. It makes technical information more accessible to business people and, in reverse, it makes business context and strategy clearer to IT leaders. It effectively helps create a shared understanding where one might not have existed before. Host: This is incredibly relevant for anyone in management. Alex, let’s bring it all home. If I'm a business leader listening now, what is the key takeaway? What should I do differently on Monday? Expert: The biggest takeaway is to be strategic. Don’t just deploy GenAI and hope for the best. The study suggests you should use these tools to streamline your formal communication channels—think AI-assisted meeting summaries, project documentation, and internal knowledge bases. This frees up valuable time. Host: And what about the informal side you mentioned? Expert: This is the crucial part. While you're automating the formal stuff, you must actively double down on fostering human-to-human interaction. The study makes it clear that trust and strong working relationships don’t happen by accident. Leaders need to consciously create opportunities for that interpersonal connection, because the AI won't do it for you. Host: So it’s a 'best of both worlds' approach. Use AI to create efficiency in structured tasks, which then gives leaders more time and space to focus on culture and true human collaboration. Expert: Exactly. It’s about leveraging technology to empower people, not replace the connections between them. Host: A powerful conclusion. To recap for our listeners: this study shows that Generative AI is a fantastic tool for improving the formal, structured side of business-IT collaboration, helping to bridge knowledge gaps and create a common language. Host: However, it doesn’t affect the informal, human-to-human interactions that build trust and culture. The key for business leaders is to implement AI strategically for efficiency, while actively nurturing the interpersonal connections that truly drive success. Host: Alex Ian Sutherland, thank you for breaking down this complex topic into such clear, actionable insights. Expert: My pleasure, Anna. Host: And thank you to our audience for tuning in to A.I.S. Insights, powered by Living Knowledge. We’ll see you next time.
Information systems alignment, social, GenAI, PLS-SEM
