Comments on: Isn't it time for the Business Guys to get IT?

By: Shahid N. Shah

Shahid N. Shah — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 13:02:32 +0000

I tend to agree that there is a lot of work that IT side needs to do to get itself out of “the ivory tower” as you said. But, I think that most IT folks probably have started to realize that if they’re not business-centric in their thinking they won’t last long in senior positions.

By: An Englishman in Ireland

An Englishman in Ireland — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 14:46:26 +0000

Yes, just like one would expect senior exec to have some undertanding of how transport works, or the latest trends in pharms (at least at “Scientific American level”). But is seems there is still work to do in the other direction. I was recently listening to a podcast (from itconversations.com) with a bunch of CIOs of SERIOUS orgs (IT budgets > $1B), and part of their message is that there is still a need for IT to come out of the ivory tower and address actual business needs. As an IT pro of 25 years, I thought that message was delivered & digested many years ago, but it seems not.

By: IT afficionado

IT afficionado — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 20:17:18 +0000

“Business” folks often consider themselves the strategic thinkers a.k.a the “outside-the-box” thinkers – well some of them are so far “outside-the-box”, they lose sight of what’s inside making the “box” operate. In order for one to understand how IT impacts their enterprise, they need to know how operations are currently conducted. The C-Suite tends to stay at 10,000 ft and often expects IT folks to take their strategic decisions and run with it. Well, this is recipe for failure, with key ingredients being lack of thorough analysis, including input from the “geeks”.

This may be a moot point in the long run – the new generation of C-Suite and “business” savvy individuals are expected to embrace IT and understand the importance. In healthcare, the generation gap is as much to blame for lack of IT intervention as any other issue at hand. So how do we bridge the gap in the short term – keep hiring Management and Process Engineers!

By: Shahid N. Shah

Shahid N. Shah — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 13:37:12 +0000

Great question, B-school student . I will put together some thoughts on post an answer as blog posting soon. Thanks.

By: B-school student

B-school student — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 03:50:40 +0000

I hear what you are saying, but this begs the question: For those of us gunning for the c-suite, not yet “too old to learn new tricks” or otherwise daunted by the task of learning IT, what should be our required reading? What are the essential tools I should have under my belt to engage HIT in strategy and planning…given the constraint that I, myself, do not plan to be an IT expert? I am currently in business school and would appreciate your thoughts.

By: bill

bill — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 18:23:34 +0000

Kind of naive thinking.
The reason senior execs say your ideas stink isn’t because your ideas stink.
They say it to keep power for themselves.
They want to keep your confidence low, so they bash your ideas.
Your entire premise assumes that if you come to them with good ideas, they will recognize it and reward you.

Truth is, you’re not rewarded for good ideas.
You’re rewarded for taking what’s theirs.

By: Shahid N. Shah

Shahid N. Shah — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 15:41:23 +0000

Great comments, guys. It looks like we’re on the same page.

By: Deepak

Deepak — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 13:55:44 +0000

I am somewhere in the middle on this issue. On the one hand, I do agree with you that “business” types traditionally do not get IT at all, nor do they understand the efficiencies that IT can bring. On the flip side, I have seen too many examples of IT not bringing the kind of efficiencies that are expected. In many cases, it is due to poor execution or badly managed expectations, but, it does tend to leave a black mark.

If an organization makes an investment in IT, I believe it is imperative that everyone across the organization understands the implications and advantages. Brown bags are always a good way to do that.

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 19:42:37 +0000

I’ve been working in the IT industry for 20 years and the most common and frustrating issue I face is that lack of collaboration, trust, and even respect, between management and the technology staff. And, as you say, it absolutely degrades the effectiveness of the IT function because of the exclusion of IT staff from the strategy and decision making processes. Educational sessions (what we call “Lunch and Learns” in my company) are useful for knowledge transfer but I think we need to look at a more formalized mechanism of education that holds management “accountable” for understanding their organization’s technology space and improving collaboration with their IT function. To help bridge the gap, perhaps a more focused role (or role responsibilty) is required to explicitly deal with improving management’s understanding of their organization’s technology and IT staff roles.