IT departments must learn how to say "yes" if they want
to engage with the business.
Too many IT directors are not on the board of directors because
they are still bound by the legacy of IT being perceived as the
"no" department.
That was the view expressed by Steve Edwards, IT director at
vehicle management company Leasedrive, speaking at the IT Directors
Forum last week.
"The absolute key to building a 'yes' culture is having good
communications with all other departments," he said.
Edwards spends two afternoons each month arriving unannounced to
sit with various teams in other departments and on the shop
floor.
He uses these visits as an opportunity to asks questions such
as, "What is IT doing for you?" and "What is the biggest pain in
the neck in your dealings with IT?"
Edwards told IT directors on board the cruise ship Aurora, "IT
directors are logical people but business appears illogical. Our
job is to make logical the illogical."
To build a "yes" environment, he said IT directors have to know
the strength of their teams, and engage the entire team in
appreciating the nature of the business pressure points.
"Every member of staff is a business enabler, and we should
empower them to think outside their boxes and send the entire IT
team out to meet the business areas," Edwards said.
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