Assessment of information strategies in insurance companies in the Netherlands

Abstract

This paper describes the information strategies of three major insurance companies in the Netherlands. A research model was developed as an aid to describe how managers nowadays deal with information strategy. We report on the linkages between information strategies and business strategies, the roles of the stakeholders involved, and how the results are perceived. We found that in all three companies the executive board, IT management and line management are heavily involved in the information strategy process. The main focus in the three companies is on adjusting IT to business goals and processes, with only some attention directed towards creating a competitive advantage with IT. With respect to the effects of information strategy, we found that none of the three companies systematically evaluate the effects of information strategies on an organizational or a business process level. More case study research is required to look into the evolutionary changes of information strategies within organizations, and the effects of information strategies on the business processes and the use of IT over time.