There is a growing recognition that sustainable competitive advantage requires a viable integration between information technology (IT) and organisational change. Increasingly, firms are interested in the transfer of IT-related best practices in the hope that fundamental organisational change will thereby be achieved. However, the investment in IT is often disproportionate to the benefits obtained. This issue of what has been referred to as the IT productivity paradox requires a re-examination of the organisational dynamics rather than a mere proclamation of the insufficiency of best practices. In this study, the re-examination is based on the viewpoint of alignment and contextualism. To achieve this aim, the study is divided into two phases. Phase one uses five cases to investigate the alignment behaviour of organisational change, and proposes four change patterns. Phase two uses one in-depth case study to explore the problem of IT-enabled change backfire and enhance the contextualism perspective of change in terms of four propositions (underlying logic, reciprocal causality, time effect and frame awareness). This conceptualisation offers a socialscientific perspective on the analysis of the IT productivity paradox, and draws out the practical implications for change management based on a "reflective transfer" model that complements the planned approach. The research adds to current understanding of the IT productivity paradox by highlighting the importance of the alignment and dynamics of organisational change.