How does cultural strategic thinking play a part within an organization when it comes to aligning IT goals with business objectives?

Visualize that cultural strategic thinking is the foundation of every company with results. This applies to all departments, regardless of their business objectives.

Before aligning IT goals, you must fully understand the culture of strategic thinking ( Scope, boundaries, if it's a must-follow guide or it could be changed depending on the situation ).

As soon as you fully understand, know the KPIs or OKRs that must be met. If it's the former it would be related to your department, if it's the latter surely it will be along with another department. In that case seek out the Head of that department, to know which tasks they will have to do to reach those OKRs, with that in mind you can create the tasks to reach those OKRs and align them to your IT goals.

It is crucial.
The hardest challenge is get aligned business needs with IT desiderata and vice versa. If there is a both cultural and strategic thinking, the path will become clear.

Cultural strategic thinking promotes departmental communication and cooperation. It stresses the significance of include diverse stakeholders in IT goal and business aim alignment decision-making. This inclusive approach considers multiple views, resulting in more comprehensive solutions that match technology and organizational requirements. Cultural strategic thinking helps organizations align IT with business goals. It helps comprehend how technology fits into the corporate framework while addressing stakeholder demands and preferences. 

In short, cultural strategic thinking fosters alignment by encouraging collaboration, flexibility, and a shared vision, ensuring IT goals support and drive business objectives.

I had to look up "Cultural Strategic Thinking" to get a better understanding of what it implies and how does it manifest itself. My understanding: connect old and new information to select the right strategy and then plan, execute and monitor, all this in the context of the culture that defines people and the organization.

To align IT goals and Business objectives is not the best place to start, it should be the other way around, define IT goals based on the business objectives, then there is clear alignment without having to force fit the two. Based on my experience in the current reality, there is no separating tech from the business irrespective of industry; if the IT leader or the business is seeking alignment, then go back to the drawing board and start by sitting on the same side of the table to discuss and define the business objectives and outcomes.

Some tips that have worked for me and CIOs mentored by me:

1. Accept the cultural nuances of the company, these would be like "this is the way we do things", or "in this geography, this is what works", and so on. Before challenging them, use a small peer group to bounce off your thoughts before taking them to a larger audience.

2. Whatever happens, stay positive, do not critique the norm if you cannot change it. Find a way to work around it. Listen and observe, be a sponge. Change the way your put across your questions so that it is not about you being right, but about the situation and what works.

3. Be the business, not a service provider or enabler. 

I am sure we all practice these and more in our daily lives, some we win, some we do not. But I would like to stress again, there is no alignment, it's about owning your contribution towards the achievement of the enterprise objectives.