In the Industrial Revolution, with its smoking chimney
stacks and noisy steam engines, the impact of new technologies on
the way people worked was obvious.
In the digital information revolution, however, the link between
technology and working patterns is more subtle and often goes
unnoticed.
IT is often seen as a mere tool that should be confined to the
back office. As a consequence IT's role in shaping the future of
organisations and the business world in general frequently goes
unnoticed and its strategic role is often not appreciated.
Yet technology is now integrated into the heart of most
organisations. One driving force taking IT to centre stage is its
pervasive reach. Convergence of IT with traditionally
technology-independent areas of running an organisation will have
major implications for IT professionals and non-technical business
managers alike.
Both groups need to understand and handle both sides of the
equation in a more integrated fashion. All need to become what has
sometimes been described as hybrid managers.
Indeed, the growth of consultancies can in part be attributed to
the failure of IT professionals to develop more general skills and
to effectively build the links between IT systems and business
strategy.
Communication skills are important here. It is up to those who
create and propose modern technologies to explain the potential and
provide relevant examples in language that can be understood by
non-experts.
How are organisations to innovate if the technologists do not
explain the potential benefits to their non-technical colleagues in
terms that they can understand and act on?
Better understanding of technology at board level may improve
exploitation of new opportunities through technology and avoid
pitfalls such as failure to understand the risks involved in using
leading-edge technologies.
There needs to be a convergence of understanding between IT
experts and non-experts so there can be constructive dialogue to
drive value from new synergies bringing together the two domains of
knowledge.
IT professionals must embrace the business application, be
prepared to stand on the bridge between disciplines and get
involved in the strategic business decisions.
Much of the innovation on which businesses increasingly rely for
success and survival comes from the spaces between departments and
disciplines.
In a truly integrated organisation the distinction between
technical and non-technical areas should be almost indiscernible.
This calls for a new skill set, including communication skills and
understanding of a broader range of business issues. The IT
professional needs to be both a technology specialist and a
business generalist.
Most senior managers will accept the importance of strategic
alignment of IT systems and business, yet very few act on it in
practice. Most agree on what needs to be done and few on how it
should be done.
Managers with strong IT knowledge and skills along with a strong
understanding of business are at a premium. Technology for
technology's sake is long gone.
IT is now more than just a tool: it is woven into the company
fabric and has to be seen to deliver real value to stakeholders. It
has to be business focused.
Much points to the need for fuller integration of IT in the
business, from boardroom to back office. This inevitably calls for
a broadening of the IT professional's role, which must include the
ability to work closely with managers across the organis-ation and
to contribute to their strategic thinking and decision making.
The IT manager should be more prominent and be able to walk
organisational boundaries and influence the way IT systems are
exploited in every part of the business.
The question is, can traditional IT managers make the
transformation required?
Edward Truch is visiting professor at Lancaster University
Management School and director of the Centre for Innovation Through
IT