In the early days of Google, articles like this were common. I remember it well, and this sentiment continued for quite some time. Even when the IPO happened, many (myself included) questioned the revenue projections – we just couldn't see it. Much like the japanese monkey's depicted below, our thinking can be be bound by the constraints of our existing surroundings, which leads to imitating instead of innovative thinking. The founders of Google were able to discover that unmet need their customers craved, and at the same time reap the benefits/profits that came with it.
Similarly, today's IT leaders need to ensure their IT Strategy is being executed in a way that key capabilties, platforms and solutions are being delivered on a timeline that aligns with when the business strategy has identified their availability as an enabler. Mark McDonald from Gartner recently is writing an interesting series, and in the most recent article refers to how IT often plays a significant role in assisting to streamline operating costs, through process improvement and automation of systems. What is often overlooked however, is the value IT can bring in driving topline growth for a business. Exploiting electronic channels (e.g. e-supply chain, e-transactions), Integrating External Information, Enabling Information Flow within the organization, Innovating the business (e.g. collaboration and innovation tools) – these are all levers that can generate significant value for the business. Swinging the “pendulum” away from “traditional IT activity” that may be more internally focused, to tackle these more value-based service offerings leave no room for monkeys. Have you seen any lately? Update 3/28: In this next series of posts, I'll talk about the area of Change Management – what it is, and an example of the type of activity that will help your IT swing their pendulum… Liked this post? Browse through all my posts here. Thanks…Pedro
