Tag Archives: organization
Managing at the Core
…This is also the area where truly great IT organizations separate themselves from their peers. Organizations which are able to articulate the problems to solve, the benefits and costs in doing so, and have develop a well though through approach in addressing the problem have a huge leg up. By doing so, the organization can avoid false starts and mis-direction, early involvement of stakeholders instead of late, and the projects have a better chance of running to conclusion. In general, this will provide a more efficient use of capital. Continue reading
Edge of IT
Several months ago, I was introduced to the concept of differentiating IT into “Core” and “Edge” functions. This very useful construct has significant implications to the way that you think about management and leadership of an IT department… Continue reading
24 Months
A recent Forrester study has shown that the average job term for a CIO is on the rise. I believe there is more to the story. Going with the assumption that both the employer and employee need to realize a value in what they receive in exchange for what they give there is an implied necessary balance and harmony required for a strong and long-lasting working relationship. Continue reading
Hey CIO, How Are Your Sociology Skills?
A first blush sociology and IT may seem distant concepts. Over the last two years, these subjects and functions have had a head on collision. Some say for the better. Some say for the worse. Continue reading
Hey CIO, How Are Your HR/OD Skills?
Organizations morph. Sometimes the change is slow over time, sometimes rapid as part of a merger. What was effective structurally at one point inevitable deconstructs as the organization it supports changes. As people move in and out of the organization personalities change the roles and by association how the work gets done. Informal structures emerge and at some point the formal organization becomes a hinderance as opposed to a means to facilitate and support successful results. Continue reading
The Inflection Point
As organizations grow the technology needs of an organization change – and sometimes change quickly and profoundly. Continue reading
Blindspots
…Every so often reality hits. An outside entity steps in to hold a mirror up to ourselves that provides a stiff body check to our egos. Sometime this is in the form of a player who has not been part of our league and provides a benchmark to compare to. Sometime, and this is the ego crushing part, it is in the form of a videotaping performed by a local tavern to entice vulnerable old men to watch their game while sharing a refreshment or two. Continue reading
Physics of IT – Mass (of Capabilities)
While certainly not as straight forward as inventorying people or assets, the capabilities of the IT organization provide is another form of mass. Capabilities add process processes to the people and the technology (Vaughan Merlyn has a great post on differentiating capabilities from processes) and in so doing provide a business perspective of the scope of value provided by the IT organization. By cataloguing the capabilities of an IT organization it is possible to assess the mass this set of capabilities provides. Continue reading
Physics of an IT Organization
A former colleague of mine, John Calvello, has penned Corporate Physics. A great book which draws insightful comparisons between implementing complex change and Newtonian Physics. These two topics would normally not share a sentence, but they have inspired the next series of posts as I draw similar correlations to traditional IT organizations. Continue reading
How to Organize for Success
There are four building blocks to the model. Each of which should be followed at a high level to understand the bigger picture and in doing so define the parameters to work within. Once this has been performed at a high level, an additional level of detail should be produced to provide additional specificity to each of the four building blocks of the template. Continue reading
