Finding a place for IT in the business
The lack of clarity about the role of IT managers could compromise or even destroy many projects, argues Ben Johnson.
It is a vexed question: what place does the IT department occupy in the business? IT used to be thought of as support; essentially a back-office function delivering applications that enabled business operations.
But then there was the dotcom phenomenon, inflated talk of the significance of IT, and even the invention of a new economy.
These bubbles have burst, but the question remains unanswered: is IT mission-critical or ancillary? Is it strategic or tactical? Is it about revolutionising the business or about enhancing productivity? Can the right IT solution truly deliver competitive advantage?
Finding the answers to these questions matters because a lack of clarity about the role of IT managers may compromise or even destroy many otherwise excellent projects.
It might be that an IT department is traditional in its approach and perhaps used to mainframe technology.
The implementation of, say, an intranet is then stymied because the department is suspicious of a devolved web-based approach that offers interaction and reduces users' reliance on centralised IT.
IT staff may not grasp how such technology can be exploited by the business, and are perhaps fearful of change, insisting that they know better.
On the other hand, a desire to always adopt the latest technologies can be just as wasteful.
Take the current obsession with portals. A portal may be a handy solution to certain problems, such as consolidated corporate-wide human resources. But is a portal for the remote salesforce really going to be so useful?
Speed is the great issue here: sales representatives on the road simply do not use technology if it slows them down. Perhaps a mobile phone is really all they need, at least for now.
What IT does the company already have that will do the best job for the business? The latest technology is not always needed, and the IT department does not always need to be an early adopter.
When the Americans spent millions developing a ballpoint pen that wrote in space, the Russians simply turned to something they had already: a pencil.
Partnership is what is needed, and it should be played out on a level playing field, not from pedestals by departments entrenched in their own self-importance.
IT is both an enabler to the business and a potential source of advantage through the strategic, intelligent use of technology.
Ben Johnson is managing director of Satsuma Solutions.