Liderar una empresa de TI-Savvy

Por ahora esperamos que ests convencido de que debe convertirse en TI con
experiencia y construir una plataforma de procesos digitalizados para su
empresa. Siendo conocedores de TI vale la pena.
Nuestra investigacin encontr que las empresas que se encuentran por
encima del promedio en ambos conocedores de TI y el gasto en TI tienen
mrgenes de 20 por ciento ms que la media del sector. Por el contrario, las
empresas con menos de gasto medio y conocedores tienen mrgenes de 32
por ciento menos que su industria. Igual de importante, siendo conocedores de
TI le pone en una posicin para aprovechar futuras oportunidades de negocio,
en este captulo, le pedimos que evaluar primero conocedores de TI de su
empresa. A continuacin se discuten los roles de liderazgo necesarias para
llevarlo a travs de la TI viaje inteligente. Tambin discutimos lo que los
vendedores pueden hacer para ayudarle a ser ms inteligente. Cerramos con
un mandato lunes por la maana lo que usted y sus colegas debe hacer a
continuacin. A menos que usted tome la iniciativa y cambiar comportamiento,
no se convertir en TI con experiencia, y que ser ms un estorbo que un
activo.

CMO ES SU FIRMA SAVVY?

Nuestra investigacin ha identificado cinco conjuntos de prcticas y
competencias que caracterizan a las empresas de TI con conocimientos.
Considere las prcticas de su empresa en cada una de estas cinco reas, y
luego vamos a pedirle que autoevaluar su comprensin de TI.
Qu tan comprometido est usted y sus colegas de la alta direccin de
utilizarlo estratgicamente? Conducir valor de TI requiere atencin de la alta
direccin y el compromiso. Esto significa que usted necesita para comunicarse
y otra vez-el modelo de funcionamiento de la empresa para establecer la
direccin. Luego hay que asistir y participar activamente en las reuniones del
comit de abordar problemas de TI. Tambin es su trabajo para establecer los
criterios para la financiacin de TI y para supervisar los resultados de los
proyectos de TI. Recuerde, el compromiso no es slo una cuestin de decir que
es importante. En una evaluacin reciente de TI con experiencia para una firma
de servicios financieros, los altos directivos calificaron altamente en su TI
compromiso. Pero la gente de cara al cliente y otros ejecutivos de esa empresa
se calific como compromiso de la alta gestin mucho ms bajo. Los resultados
diferentes sorprendido y decepcionado al equipo ejecutivo. Un alto directivo
pregunt "Cmo es que no lo entiendo?"

Acciones importan. Si los directivos no estn constantemente demostrando

compromiso con el uso de TI estratgica, no hay suficiente compromiso.

Cmo le fue integrando negocio y de TI?

En IT-conocedores empresas cada persona piensa de forma digital. Su objetivo
es tener una nica fuente de la verdad de sus datos clave; componentes
digitalizados de proceso para sus principales procesos de negocio: y un
conjunto limitado de tecnologas estndar.
De la misma manera que cada plan de negocios cuenta con un presupuesto,
los planes de negocio de las empresas de TI con conocimientos contienen una
seccin sobre el papel de la tecnologa. Cada estrategia de negocios considera
las implicaciones de TI, y la unidad de TI juega un papel en imaginando lo que
son posibles estrategias. Usted querr reuniones informativas peridicas sobre
las tendencias tecnolgicas y sus implicaciones para su industria, con estudios
de caso de los competidores y prcticas interesantes. Una seal de que usted
ha alcanzado la integracin de TI-negocio es la aceptacin general del CIO
como un lder de negocios.
Qu tan bien a manejar la poltica?
Es intrnsecamente una tecnologa integrando, integra los procesos dentro de
la empresa y se integra a la empresa con sus clientes y proveedores. Cualquier
cosa que inhibe que la integracin reduce la eficacia del gasto en TI de la
empresa.
Las empresas cuyas personas son reacias a compartir datos y procesos de
negocio y que no tienen una cultura de colaboracin y el intercambio de tener
menor de TI con experiencia. Uno de nuestros ejemplos favoritos viene de
nuestro estudio de la industria de fabricacin de vlvulas. El grupo de ventas
estaba entusiasmado con la introduccin de los ordenadores porttiles de
gama alta para los vendedores.
Los clientes quedaron muy impresionados cuando el vendedor, en la oficina del
cliente podra disear y programar su orden de encargo en lnea y garantizar
una fecha de entrega. Cuando la empresa implement por primera vez el
sistema, sin embargo, el gerente de produccin era resistente y anunci
"ningn vendedor escamosa va a tocar mi programa de produccin." El sistema
de entrada de pedidos en el cliente ejercicio super el gerente de produccin.
La poltica es una fuerza poderosa y con frecuencia mucho ms sutil y
subversiva que la reaccin de un gerente de produccin profesional en
particular. Convertirse en TI con experiencia requiere la construccin de un
sentido compartido de la comunidad con el apoyo de la combinacin adecuada

de incentivos locales y globales. Sin ese sentido de comunidad, la poltica

disfuncionales socavan iniciativas de TI de la empresa.
Cmo empoderados son sus personas con grandes sistemas y la informacin? La lnea de fondo de
serlo inteligente es que los usuarios de los sistemas son capaces de hacer su trabajo con eficacia y
se sienten facultados para exceI. Antes de Delta Airlines construy su plataforma digital, si usted le
pregunta "Qu puerta es el vuelo 56 saliendo-de? Se poda obtener una respuesta diferente del
agente de registro del lado del bordillo, el agente de servicio telefnico, y la habitacin Crown
Club
agentes de servicio.
Cada persona estaba mirando diferente
Sistemas y conseguir una respuesta diferente. No slo fueron los clientes frustrados; pero tambin
lo eran agentes Delta, que queran hacer un gran trabajo. Satisfaccin con los sistemas de TI,
servicios de TI y de datos es fairIy fcil de medir. Muchas empresas, como Intel, Novartis, Procter
& Gamble, y JM Pamily, miden la satisfaccin del empleado con la calidad de sus TI. Servicios de
manera regular, algunos de benchmarking con una cohorte de empresas similares. Algunas empresas
incluyen satisfaccin del cliente externo tambin
Hacer estas medidas satisfaccion transparente en su empresa y por lo general
van a mejorar con el tiempo ~ Empoderar a tu pueblo con grandes sistemas es parte de ser
conocedores de TI.

Qu tan bien se aprende de la experiencia? Empresas de TI con conocimientos aprenden

de la experiencia y no cometer los mismos errores una y otra vez. Por ejemplo, sabemos
intuitivamente que no debemos gastar dinero en TI antes de optimizar el proceso de
negocio. Sabemos que esto, que realmente hacemos, pero de alguna manera en el calor del
momento no lo hacemos siempre lo hacemos. Empresas de TI con experiencia incrustar sus
lecciones del pasado y de otras empresas-en sus procesos de gobierno. En la prctica,
estas lecciones vienen a la vida como puertas en la metodologa del proyecto para
asegurar que los errores del pasado no se repitan. En lugar de ser percibidos como
obstculos, estas puertas agregan valor al permitir la reutilizacin, el compartir, y el
tiempo ms rpido al mercado. Hay una curva de aprendizaje, sin embargo, y en un
principio no habr resistencia. Testimonios ampliamente diseminadas de grandes xitos, el
equilibrio adecuado de incentivos locales y globales, la transparencia de
los procesos de adopcin, y un proceso de excepcin rpida todos ayudan a su empresa de
aprender de la experiencia.
Al igual que las empresas de este libro, que se convertir en TI con experiencia y construir una
plataforma digital gradualmente un proyecto a la vez Vas a tener que afinar sus procesos de
gobernanza de TI para incorporar nuevos aprendizajes. Simplificar y deseche mecanismos que no
funcionan y refuerzan una cultura de aprendizaje de la experiencia.

PUNTO DE REFERENCIA DE SU FIRMA TI SAVVY

En el apndice hemos proporcionado un cuestionario que le permitir evaluar
conocedores de TI de su empresa. Los resultados de muchas empresas que hemos
referenciado en el pasado constituyen una curva en forma de campana, y usted ser
capaz de "ver dnde encaja en esa curva.

Piease tomar unos diez minutos ahora para responder a estas preguntas, entonces lea la
explicacin en el apndice sobre cmo interpretar su puntuacin y lo que su puntaje dice
acerca de las acciones que debe tomar.
Otra forma de evaluar cmo la TI Savvy su empresa se ha convertido es hacer el
siguiente clculo para cada proyecto de TI importante:

,ROl
Business case

- ROl .
post-mplemtaton review

Total the results for all of last year's major projects. In

IT-savvy firms, this total approaches zero. As you become more
IT savvy, you get better at estimating benefits and delivering on
those estimated benefits. Because typically only IT-savvy firms
do post-implementation reviews, just being able to calculate
this measure is evidence of IT savvy

KEY ROLES IN IT-SAVVY FIRMS

Chapter 1identified three obsessions of IT savvy firms: fix what's
broken, build a digitized platform, and exploit the platform for
profitable growth. All of senior management, not just the CIO,
needs to be obsessive about these tasks. The IT savvy journey
offers opportunities and challenges for everyone in the firm.
Table 7-1 sumrnarzes the key IT leadership roles. We review
three of those roles here.

You and Every Senior Executive

You and your senior colleagues are a critical success factor in
your firm's IT savvy journey. It is up to you and your colleagues
to build an IT-savvy culture and define the operating model.
Then allocate the resources to implement the model, deter
mine the level of commitment, communicate and encourage
desirable behavior, and assess progress. No one else in the firm
has the clout to do this,
I

Because building and using a digitized platform is a process

of changing your firm to adapt to the demands of the digital
economy, you will either tackle these responsibilities or your
firm will continue to find IT an obstacle to-rather than an
enabler of-business success, Once you make the commitrnent
to build a digitized platform, you will find that, to get on board,
the rest of your people need clear performance metrics and

Transparency regarding decision processes.

Given all these expectations for the senior management
team, you may be wondering what we've left for the CIO.
The answer is: plenty. The CIO is part-of the senior manage
ment team and thus shares in a11the responsibilities described
earlier. But the CIO also has a unique role to play-arguably
the most important role In the firm for making a firrn

IT savvy.
TABLE 7-1

Key IT leadership roles

CEO and senior business

executives

Clarify the operating model and what will be standard and

shared. " '
Reinforce standards for business process. Data, and
Technology.
Budget for off-platform innovation.
Fund and resource major initiatives to build the platform.
determine it funding priorities and'overesee performance.
Build a digital culture and assign accountabilities for
digitized platforms and firmwide business processes.
design governance and incentives reinforcing desirable
behavior.

CIO and senior IT leaders

Run word-class IT operatlons, maldng performance

transparent and addlng aervlces over time.

Manageenterprlse data to empower employees.
Devslqp techilology:stahdards and oompllanos and
exceptlon processes to bulld your platlorms.
Ensrebuy-In lo proleet methdology, busIness cases,
anQpost-Implementatlon revlews.
Devslop ITunl! costrng procesa indprlorng of aharad Ir
servcee, ' .
Champlon servlces ond precesses to be ohared and
standardized.
Strategy
executlon offlcsr
(SEO or procesa
owners)

Business unlt
leadera '

ProJectleaders

Deslgnthe business process and dala requlremenls for

the dlglUzedplalform.
Manegechange and Implementatlon...!.lncludlngoptlmlz1n9processes,
syste_ms,and tralning.
Deslgnperformance metrlcs and the organlzailonal
c~anges,requlred..
CJarlfylocal operatlng model.and innovate on (he
plattorm. ' , . "
Suy lnlo or chalJengeentarprlsewlde operatlng modal
Developloc! system requlrementa. I
Develop business cases. ' I I
ll'ack busIness value agalnst business cases.
Implement proJ~t methodology.
Make flrst-Ievel excep.tlondeclslons,
Do post-Implementatlon revlsws.

Sourco:e2Q09Mil Slea" Cenler 10rInlermallon Syaiems Aesearch. Usod WIIhpBrmisslen

lhe Role of the CID

The CIO is responsible for the smooth running of 24 x 7 IT
operations, IT governance, and implementation of new proj
ects. The CIO also has a unique vantage point and is one of the
few executives who sees across the entire firmo Thus.jhe CIO
is well positioned to recognize what can be standardized and
shard across the firm,
'fable 7-1 highlights sorne of the key responsibilities of
the CIO for running IT operatons and workingwith business
leaders to define enterprise business process 'and data stan
dards. But many CIOs tell us that their role is changng.
,1'

Beyond managng their enterprise's IT organzation, sorne

Clps own business processes, others have revenue targets,
others manage a network of IT outsourcers, and still others
manage shared services including HR, financial services, and
sourcing,
LeaEflng an IT-Savvy Flrm

. '(:/05 al/oeate time in fou_rmajor areas. To better understand

the job of the CIQ andhelp you determine what kind of CIO
you need, we studied how CIOs,alloca,te their time. We found
that ero, alloeate their time into four major roles and that
most qOs alloeate sorne time to each. In the parentheses are
the average time allocations for each role.'
Managing IT setvices (44 percent ofCIO time):
Managing the IT organzation and its people and
vendors to ensure delivery of IT infrastructure,
applcatons, and related services across the cornpany
at the desired cost, risk, and service levels

Working with non-TI' colleagues (36percent): Working

with non-I'I' colleagues, both enterprisewide and ~thin

business units, addressing issues such as business strat
egy,business process optimization, new product or
service development, acquistions, regulatory cornpli
ance-and risk, and IT investment priortzaton
Working with customers (10 petcent): Meeting with the
company's external custorners, partners, and colleagues
as part of the sales or service delvery procesa, ncluding
establshing electronic lnkages with customers
.' Managlng enterprise processes (10 percent): Managing
enterprse processes and the associated digitized plat
form, including shared service5,:prQa~ devlopment,
global supply chain, customer experience, operations,
corporate responsibility; and green issues
Although the average CIO spends 44 percent of his or her
time rnanagng IT services, these'average time allocations mask
a 10t, of individual variation. Por example, Richard -Hoynes,
Tyco's eIO 'durng 2007-2008~ 'inheritd a company eoming
out f sgnficant turmoil. His focs was on delive_ringworld
class IT services at the lowest possible unit costoTo ahiev that
goal, Hoynes spent more than 50 percent of his time on th IT
services t~ks, particularly ~rojeet delivery and IT planning,
with a foeus on measuring results such as 11:.~it cost and proj
ect delvery,
In contrast, Patricia Hewlett, former CIO and vice P,fesident
of IT at ExxonMobil, delegated most of the responsibilities for

running 'IT day to day to one of several very capable direct

reports, She allocated 75 pereent of her time to workng with
'non-IT exeeutives on business strategy, innovation, acquisi
tons, major projects, and IT spending prioritization.
Rosalee Hermans, CIO of Tmberland, a US$1.7 billion
apparel and footwear firrn, has a solid lT infrastrueture. She
spends lS pereent of her time "making Timberland easy and

inexpensive to do business with" and "having automated con

versations with customers," with a particular foeus on devel
oping the growing small to rnedium-sized market in Asia and
elsewhere.
,"

We have c1assified CIOs into four types=servces.embedded, external.customer, and ,e~terprise processes=-based on
how they spend thelr time.Bach type srcro spends above,1 j

average time in one of the four roles. Table"7-2 describes these

four types.
... . I

As firms inerease their IT savvy, the responsibilities of the

,

"

leading an IT-Savvy Flrm

CIO will evolve. We beleveall CIOs will still allocate time to

aIl four roles but' that the emphasis will change as n' savvy
increases. Instages 1 and 2 of the journey (see chapter 4) the
CIO must focus on the services CIO role. Continued break
downsor poor IT'service ate u~sustainable for any CIa. The
CIO in stage 2 of the IT savvy journey needs to be a tough
minded person with C-suite support who moves the ~rm
relentlessly toward technology standardization.
Once the services elo role has been rnastered, the CIO can
focus on the embedd~d role working on business process and
data issues and on ensurng effective IT governanee of the firmo
As fue firm beco mes comfortable with e5tab~hed governance

TABLa 7-2

Four types 01 OIOs

Servlces
Embedded
External
~nterpris.e

eustemer
processes
%o, OUlTlnt 50% 1.J...
30%1'
10%1'
10%1'

CIO searc!t.a
'

"

Focue
Ir !larvlces
Workwllh
Helpsall
Manage
Il.lrlghl
nen-rr

CIO actlvlty
".
anddellver enterprlse
qUBUtyand
colleagues;

the flrm's
procesaes
COSI slrategy,
servlces end
(e.g.,o:erabusineSs

meke tne
tlons, product
proceas
flrmeasy
development,
executlon,
todo shared
and
business servles)
Innovation
wllh
Manege IT
Wor1twlth
Workwlth
Manege
wlthabov.
avemge
aarvleGs '
"nOn-IT'
customars Iriterprlse

(abovII

, ,coJleagu.es
(above 10%
processes
tlm'e

allocatJon
44%01
(above36%
olCIOtlma)
(above 10%

9IOIJr1e) ofCIOtlme}
ofCIOllme)
Key'"
IT unl! casi Business
Aevanue
Business
matrlos
andservlce
aglllly
targets
' . prcess .
levsla
Peer revlew
Customer performance
Intarnal
Flrmwlda servica
ormeasures
consumer financia!
cosls
concernlng
satlsfactlon
performance External
speclal ,
Budgelend
t. cJstomer J
proJecta
people
sallsfacllon
manage.
rnent
Source: ~ 2009 MIT SloanCantorfer Informa,lonSys'emsResearch.UsadI'l'ithpennlsslon.
o. Basadon 2009 eatlmalions01Ihedamandfor hl,lngof CIOs by SlJawn 80ne111,managlng
directorolRU9seURaynolds.ArroW8 reprosentdlrocllon01tmnde. "

the eIO will become more focused on either the enterprise

processes or the customer ero role. The custorner cro tole
willlikely emerge in firms where the CIO can playa major part

in the sales or delivery process' ,(e.g., technology and services

vendors, sorne financia] services, telcosj. Inother firms, we see
the CIO moving toward enterprse process managment and
perhaps a new role--the strategy execution officer, or SEO.
I!

The Role pf the SEO

We have been discussing how IT-savvy firms build and use dig
itized platforrns. However, few firms have -dentfed a single
exe~utiv-Ievel owner of the core business process platform. As
a result, at many firrns, the potential benefits of the platform
have not materialized." ;l'
. Enter the SEO-the strategy execution officer, Although
no one we know has this title, it is our generic name for a role

in

that has emerged

sorne top-perforrning flrrns. The SEO
takes ownership of the enterprise's core business processes. In
1

I'

sorne firms, the CIO has taken on this role. In other firms, the
rol~ is flled by th~COO, the ~e~i'orvice president for global

f' (,
supply chain, the head of shared services, or a more general
,,

147
Leading an ITSavvy Firm
e.xecutivevice president,
Everyone with an SEO type of role has three major res
ponsibilities for building and driving value from the digitized
platforrn:
l. Build the digitized platfonn: IThe first responsibility of
an SEO is to plotthe changes intechnology, business
processes, and data required to build the digitzed plat
formoThe entire'senior managemenr team must define
th~'high-leveLvision and decide what will be shared
across the enterprise, But firrns need a single leader to

lead the effort and decide what to do; when. The SEO
accepts accountability for defining priorities in the
development effort,
2. Lead the chi1l1ge:'The organzational hange requred
to implement standard business processes is painful.

3. Drive valuefrom theplatform: GcttiIlg systems in'

place j'sonly the initial ehallenge fadng an SEO. The
,.I
. ... t ....

The entire senior management team rnst embrace "

change, but massive change requires a point persono '
The SEO fills that role, ensuring ongoing training on
r new processes and systems, The,SEO at sorne firms has
taken on general responsibility for process discipline.
and continuous improvement, such as six sigma
efforts. J : ) ,
ongoing challenge is to generare benefits from the platformo
The SEO is responsible for'ineasm:i~g the per
formance of a core process to ensure that the firm ,
achieves requred behavi'bl' ehanges and their expected
out~omes. To clarify management expectatons, fue
SEO, often with othr senior executives, may need to
change incentives, org.ulizl\tionnl structures, oc both.
At BT, GroAl-Noor Ramji took onthe role of ClO and head
of the customer experence. A~ Dow Chemical' Company,
elO Dave Kepler heads global supply ehan and shared services.
Filipo Passerini at Procter & Gatl1ble runs Global Business Ser
vices.These are all SEO roles at firms that recognzed they could
not beneft frorn a digitized platforrn unless they put a strong

leader ~ charge, If you have a technology platform that isn't ere

ating expected business benefits, think about appointing an,SEO.
Table' 7-1 outlines sorne IT Ieadership roles deeper into the
organization as well. Th IT sawy journey starts with senior
executves, the CIO, and, at sorne frms, the SEO, But business
and lT leaders throughout the enterprise also play key roles.It's
important ~odefine those.roles and hold managers accountable.

THE ROLE OF VENDORS ANO PARTNERS

We've outlined the roles' of key people inside the firm, but
there is also a huge industry of IT service providers and busi.
ness pro~es~ outsourcers available to help you become more
rr savvy. In fact, the potentel for outsourcng both teehnol
ogy management and business processes may diminish your
commitment to ernbarking on the IT savvy journey. Don'tlet
that happen, Youshould, however, view the rr services ndus
try as a partner on yur journey. ,

he Role 01Vendor.s In Smal and New Flrms

Leadlng an IT-Savvy Flrm

The widespread avalubiUty ef high-quality external IT and

business process services means that most new rms need not
develop deep expertise in technology management, lf you are a
leader in a small or relatively young frm, yO\,~can rely on a
strong IT partner to provide the necessary technlcal expertise
and manage your frrn's Irrequirernents as it grows, As the frm
evolves, you'll be able to cheose which processes to perform

internally and which to perform externally. A good vender

partner can contribute ideas, upgrade technology, and apply

effective technology management practices, Many vendors can

even help you shape a digitized platform and then run the technology and the business processes for yo,u.
But remember that your digitzed platform is the foundation for your business. Regardless of how much help you get,
you must own rhe operating model, the design, th~business
rules, and the business initiatives you drive from it. All of the
problems that plague long-established firms remain risks for
newer firms-with or withoutvendor partners. With so many
vendors to choose frorn, it's easy to get into the habit of chasing
clown the next great offer from the next persuasive salespersono But that habit will almost certainly lead you down the
path of using IT for tactical rather than strategic goals.
L

The design of-and commitment t~a digitzed platform

.,'
t.
"

,-

is senior management's responsibility. No vender can spare

""

yo from bad decisions. And no vendor can drive value from

IT for you. You can take a partner on the IT savvy journey with

'
you, but you can't ask that partner to take the journey for you.
1'-

f'l
.~:, "

[,

'"
"

The Role of Vendors In Larga, Global Flrms

More-established and larger firrns should also take advantage
..,
o the IT services market. Carnpbell Soup has effectively used a
"

.,

vendor partner to help it first clean up its IT .operatons and

then take over most responsibility for running operations, but
this has involved an intensive managernent effort on the part
~
~ .~

of both client and vender," Together they worked to undo bad

j. ,

. :.1

habits in Campbell's management and use of IT. What this

means for you is that IT vendor partners can help you on your
IT savvy journey, but they don't 1etyou skip any stages.

Dow Chemical Company started calling on vendors for help

building a digitized platform in the early 1990s.6 One ofDow's
partners provides project management and development sup
port; another runs infrastructure operations. With the help o
these partners, Dow has built a digitized platform supporting a
global supply chan, a highly standardized manufacturing envi
ronment, ad all of the firm's shared administrative services,
The platform has helped Dow maintain profitability in a corn
modity industry.
Going forward, Dow's senior management team expects
the firm's success to depend more on the development and sale
-

of specalty chemicals, and Dow has been relying heavily on

joint ventures to do the product development. Over 25 percent
of Dow's reve~ue is generated from joint ventures. Dow's digi
tized platforrn, however, was not built to meet the unique
requirements ofjoint ventures. 1b update the firm's digitized
platform, management's preference is to find a set of vendor
partners who can update and run key transaction systems as
wel~as perform man~ basic business processes and services.
We've noted that once a digitzed platform is built, a firm
must constantly refresh it. This constant tweaking can be ds
ruptive throughout the firm (think about the last time your
firm upgraded your desktop software). Dow's idea is to out
source its digitized platform as large components to specialist
frms and let them worry about the refreshing. So far, Dow
has found interested vendors but no real market. Thus, at
this point, modular outsourcing of the dgitzed platform of
a large global firm appears to be challenging, risky, and
expensve

We do anticpate that. as more firms build digitized plat

forms, the market for the kind of services Dow is seeking will
materialize. Even very large firms will have the option of send
ing many technology and base-level business processes to
firms specializing mthese servces. But don't think that means
you can wait to become more IT savvy. The firms best pos
tioned to take advantage of these kinds of services will be
those who are well along on the IT savvy journey.
IT-savvy frnis understand their digitized business
processes-and the components of those processes=-well
enough to recognize which can be 'handled by a services
provider and which ones they need to keep in-house. Arid the
systems and processes constituting 'th:~~r platforms. ....are
desgned in such a way (l.e., not lke cold spaghetti) that corn
ponents can he extracted from the rest of the platform. So

don't expect a vendo! to make you IT savvy.But start working

with vendors who can enhance your technology servces and
help you build rOur platform.

THE IT SAVVY MONOAY MORNING MANDArE

Becoming more IT savvy is everyone's responsibllity. We hope
that for readers who have made it ths fr, the benefits are clear
and compelling and we have mapped out the journey.with
sorne cIear signposts. We trust we have provideda number of
motivating examp~es of frrns that have achieved greatness in
part due to their IT savvy.
Now it is up to you to make your firrn more IT savvy every
year. It is up to you and your senior management colleagues to

build the digitized platform that will enable your proftable

growth inthe digital econoiny. Weleave you with a set of seven
actions you can take today to start making your frm more IT
savvy. Think of these seven actions as your IT savvy Monday
morning mandate:
l. Debate your operating model: IT cannot do anything
strategic for you until you decide how you want to
operate. Remember that IT does two things well
standardizing and integrating. Make the most of what
I'I'cando,

2. P~ignyour IT govemance on one page: Based pn your

~ str~tegi~ priorities, d~ter~ine the small set of gover
nance mechanisms that wl engage all stakeholdera in
working to achieve }'(!urgoals,
3. Clarifyyour expectationsol-and performance metrics
lor-your CIO (and perhaps SEO): This exercise
shouldengage you and the CIO/SEO in an honest
discussion of the role of lT, its current strengths and
weaknesses, and the stage of the rr savvy journey that
your frm is in.
4. Crease q transparent IT Ir.md'ng and prioritization
process: State the criteria and specify who will make
decisions and be accountable,

'5. Put someone (very capable}in charge 01designing and

executing a post-implementation review process: Start
learning now from your current projects

6. Assessyout IT savvy (seeappendix): Make a plan for

addressing the major problem areas.
7. Help your people become more IT savvy: Making all
your people more IT savvyis a firmwide effort and a
greatrole for HR, perhaps in partnership with IT.
Work with the HR director to ask: How effective is our
professional development related to IT savvy?How

empowered are our people by our systems? How is this

measured?
A digitized platform allows you to continuously optimize
and pull costs out of your core processes. At the same time, it
provides a foundation for both innovation and agility for your
people to exploit. Over time, the new offerings become part of
an ever-richer platform-and the virtuous cyc1eof innovation
and standardization continues. The resulta are profitable
growth and empowered people. We wish you well on your IT
savvy journey and urge you to take the lead

How IT Savvy Are You and

Your Collea~ues?
PIease consider the part of the
firm you know best when answering the questions in the fol
lowing assessment.
1

APPENDIX
There are five categories of questions,
each with a box for your answer. For the first category-"Top
Managernent Cornmitment to Information Thchnology"
please read tbrough the statements, considerng your firmo
Then choose an answer from plus 8 (strongly agree-e.g.,
wIk-on-water -good) to minus 8 (strongly disagree-e.g.,
drowning) that best represents your firm's effectiveness at all
'the practices nd competencies listed. If you think your firm is
about average for your industry, please enter a zero. Then
repeat the process for the other four categories.

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