Imagine a newly-wed couple who do not can speak the same languages. They attempt to communicate with each other. However, a lack of understanding and meaningful communication is likely to end the marriage right from the beginning.
In many organizations, there is the relationship between the IT department and the executive leadership is identical. The phrase “it was a match made in heaven” seldom occurs, if ever.
In a study from 150 IT departments from mid-sized firms, The IT Leadership Exchange discovered that 90% of CIOs think to find out that the IT department will not be aligned with the business’s needs during an economic recovery. More than half think that this could affect the company’s competitiveness in the long run.
It is good to know that there are a couple of simple ways to bridge the sometimes tense divide between IT and the executive. Collaboration and understanding of one another’s requirements can be a big help.
1.) Align Business Goals with IT Methodology and Projects.
In reality, every business has its own unique set of corporate and IT objectives. The priorities within these sets can differ based on a range of external and internal aspects, such as the size of the company as well as its market position, the level of IT dependence, industry, and geographic location. In today’s highly complex business environment the strategic planning that is based on the alignment of IT and business goals is vital to the success of a business.
Discussions in business should be focused on relationship-related, strategic issues that include clearly defining the roles of business partners and IT as well as the goals of business units and any future plans. It is essential that the management starts with a clear understanding of its goals for the business and what IT can and will help meet the needs of the company. The business leaders must be sure that each IT department member is aware of and is able to articulate the needs and objectives of the business before they develop IT programs and systems only to in the manner that they can assist in reaching these goals.
2.) Determine Project Hierarchy and Follow it.
If there’s one word that IT professionals working in IT are most likely to hear and often, it’s “I need this right away!” Every request from an organization appears to be more urgent than the previous, even though the request is completely absurd from a technology perspective. Many times, executives think that IT does only work for them. They often forget the reality that IT’s IT department supports thousands or hundreds of other people every day.
Naturally, issues and problems are bound to arise, which need immediate attention, but the ones that aren’t crucial and, most importantly they are not beneficial to the company must be avoided. Each project must bring about more sales, efficiency, and efficiency and add value in a significant way to the company. When the goals of the business are properly aligned, then the IT department is able to do a more streamlined task of deciding which way to divide resources. A clear order of operations for IT is essential to ensure that everyone is on the same team.
3.) Learn (and be able to teach) the difference between “Wants” and “Needs.”
Many senior managers do not have an in-depth knowledge of the technology. They know the importance of technology. However, they aren’t always clear of how technology operates. This is an area in which IT can be of assistance by ensuring that management is aware of the distinction of an IT “need” and a “want”.
It is the duty of IT staff to communicate the things that can’t be accomplished easily from a technology perspective. Simply because someone would like to do something in the way they want it to does not mean it can be easily achieved. Needs may, and likely will, eventually become demands as the business grows.
4) Work to Streamline Internal Processes
Management expert Peter Drucker teaches that process improvement can transform the business and result in the development of new ideas. Drucker says to his students that process improvements are “the change that creates a new dimension of performance” for companies. The IT department is evaluated based on its efficiency, productivity, and the way that it assists people in and out of the company.
If IT productivity grows, as does the productivity of the people, it helps. A regular review of IT operations can reveal possible areas of improvement. These could include better automation as well as security and software upgrades as well as the time required to request status updates, and so on.
5) Make Accountability a Key Factor
IT accountability is a key factor in the realms of IT operations as well as cost management, project delivery, and service delivery. IT accountability is essential in achieving the maximum benefit from decisions made by IT. The management executives must be sure that the IT manager is fully aware of the fact that accountability is vital for the overall success of the company. It is not enough to be accountable only when things aren’t working. In fact, IT needs to take responsibility from the very beginning.
The most important thing to guide individuals and teams to success is to define the organization’s purpose at the beginning. Management should only be sure of accountability from IT once they have provided an explicit direction as well as the targets and measures of performance that are most crucial for the company and its mission. A poor IT performance may affect management as much as it does on IT itself.
6) Delegate IT Tasks Whenever Possible
Most often, executives’ management teams typically view cost reduction in telecom as the top goal for IT. In a down economy, IT can feel even more slammed as managers try for ways to reduce costs in any way that is possible.
The most frequent issue that IT faces is that they are unable to find time to deal with the most basic but vital problems with telecom. In fact, IT executives frequently mention telecom as the most time-consuming area. The most effective way to increase IT efficiency while decreasing costs in the process is as easy as delegating the mundane tasks and the management of telecom sites to an outside company that specializes in this field.
Transferring the multitude of everyday telecom problems to an expert allows IT to concentrate on more important projects, which are most important to meeting business goals and expanding the business. A reputable telecom outsourcing company can not only bridge the gap between management and IT and field offices, accounting, and ancillary departments.
