Pimm Fox: Avoid the decline of IT innovation

These benefits of shifting IT functions to third parties mask a perilous situation: the contraction of IT innovation. The debate over how to maintain IT innovation has never been more relevant.

The idealized outsourcing scenario frees budgets and internal workers for mission-critical or core-competency projects. The truth is more prosaic.

Cost savings are being sucked to bolster slim bottom lines. The net effect is a hollowing out of IT talent, leaving a skeleton staff to pay lip service to the notion that certain IT functions are indeed essential to the enterprise.

There are ways to sustain innovation and continue to outsource. But they’re not free.

“The challenge is to set up relationships – whether they are with internal staff or offshore development teams – that foster innovation,” says Carl Frappaolo, head of knowledge management and co-founder of the Delphi Consulting Group Inc. in Boston.

He says that instead of obsessing about cost savings, companies should be focusing on innovation before their competitors get too far ahead.

One way to do this is to jettison the attitude that IT is merely a service organization and instead treat it as a P&L unit. This directs IT to add value to the business while enabling it to become an active participant with business teams to develop new products and services. In this way IT staffs aren’t merely expected to execute orders; rather, their jobs are defined to deliver creative, sophisticated IT solutions.

Innovative thinking doesn’t happen in a vacuum. If all of IT – outsourced and in-house – isn’t clued into the purpose of the enterprise, the business loses.

Pimm Fox is a freelance writer in San Francisco. Contact him at [email protected].

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

Featured Articles

Cybersecurity in 2024: Priorities and challenges for Canadian organizations 

By Derek Manky As predictions for 2024 point to the continued expansion...

Survey shows generative AI is a top priority for Canadian corporate leaders.

Leaders are devoting significant budget to generative AI for 2024 Canadian corporate...

Related Tech News

Tech Jobs

Our experienced team of journalists and bloggers bring you engaging in-depth interviews, videos and content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives.

Tech Companies Hiring Right Now