SOA and "Business alignment"

Each and every presentation or textbook on SOA (including mine - presentation, not text book; not yet) starts with how IT has to align with "the business", etc, etc, ... and how there are application silos that seem to be the only thing that keep the business from being an "agile" one.

And everyone just assumes or implies that it is or was the IT department's fault that there currently is a misalignment (given there is one at all).
But weren't the business units those who requested those very silos. Or sometimes even demanded them.
(True, IT departments and the industry at large have their share as well).

But when it comes to SOA we simply assume that the cultural aspects of SOA is something IT has to learn. "The business" (i.e. the sum of the business units, quite a heterogeneous bunch themselves) has to become ready as well. They have to stop demanding their best-of-breed silos.

Once we get over that hurdle, SOA will be easy.

Well, don't quote me on the last one.