IT is vital to the success of any major business but before its
potential can be realised, other factions within the business must
be convinced of its importance.
Businesses thrive on the smart use of technology. The challenge for
the CIO is to engage colleagues effectively to reach common views
about what is and is not possible. This is easy to say but often
difficult to achieve.
Speak the same language
We all know of companies whose
management teams are "on message" in using technology as an
integral part of overall business strategy. They gain a clear
advantage in the marketplace because the CIO is working as a key
member of the team. The positive dialogue within the team and
willingness to embrace new ideas can be a powerful force carrying
the company forward.
In other companies the CIO finds it much more difficult to
communicate on the same wavelength with other colleagues. At a time
of economy and budget constraints, the fact that the cost of
technology continues to grow as it increasingly underpins company
operations can sour attitudes towards the CIO.
This is not helped by the fact that large parts of this investment
are not well understood (mopping up legacy and the outfall from
mergers and acquisitions, ensuring technology consistency across
the organisation, putting in place effective resilience measures,
and so on).
Hence the "black art" and "money pit" analogies which management
often apply to IT. It is very easy to move from this to a suspicion
that the IT department is made up of individuals only concerned
with serving their own interests.
Don't expect to be trusted before you
deliver
Successfully aligning IT strategies with business
objectives goes much further than coming up with some great ways of
using technology to achieve revenue growth. It starts with
successful delivery of operational IT services. Nobody is going to
listen to ideas for the future from people who cannot deliver the
present.
Fundamental to thinking about appropriate IT strategies is an
understanding of the culture of the company - what is its
underlying style/approach? Devolved companies find it very
difficult to opt for strategies that require a consistent approach
across the whole business. Highly structured companies will find
flexible local investment for business gain difficult and so on. If
there is a magic opportunity that requires an approach that goes
against company culture, be ready for a tough challenge convincing
colleagues!
Big bang approaches are sometimes unavoidable, but wherever
possible the phased development of carefully piloted systems that
build into a technology-enabled company makes much more sense. This
may take place over a considerable period of time with lessons
being learnt along the way on what works and what does not. While
the direction will probably remain consistent the detail of its
delivery may well evolve significantly over time.
The days of the IT department responding in a passive way to
business needs are past. Technology is now leading the way in many
companies, facilitating approaches and building on opportunities
that would simply not be possible without it.
Driving the business forward
This gives CIOs a very
exciting and critically important challenge in terms of leadership.
They must have, not only a sound grasp of the business drivers and
the likely impact of technology upon them, but also excellent
communication skills and powers of persuasion to carry colleagues
with them.
Each individual will approach the challenge in a different way that
reflects a combination of personal style and cultural
understanding. Whatever the approach, it is vital to engage
colleagues in a way that carries relevance in business terms. The
technology is for the CIO to fix without resorting to extended
debate in the boardroom.
John Handby is chief executive at CIO Connect