I’m a bit surprised that this is just beginning to be a trend… but nevertheless…
A recent survey of business leaders, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit and commissioned by Accenture, revealed what those IT and business leaders are discussing in their closed-door budget meetings. The results hint at one thing when it comes to IT: strategy.
via BlueLock - IT to go “strategic” in 2010.
In fact, when discussing technology and the role of IT in an organization, strategic partnerships with the other functional areas should be a primary goal, as technology can directly influence behavior in the organization and more importantly revenue streams.
For example, technical oversight via systems processes can ensure proper and legal behaviors of the staff, integration between business models can influence collaboration and timeliness, and an IS&T strategy can ensure that the functional roles and tactical behaviors of employees are focused on clear value added jobs and responsibilities.
IS&T can also affect customer behavior and employee attitudes towards customers when they have a clear view into each interaction between the firm and those respective customers through proper CRM implementation and how the customer has responded through business intelligence and analytics.
Proper implementation and strategy of information technology and systems is one of the primary strategic goals that any global Fortune 100/500 firm can implement in order to ensure sustained competitive advantage, even if they are focused in other areas for profit.
One reason why this may not have been a trend until recently, is I that it can be incredibly difficult to identify the causal relationship of IT to behavior in an organization and most if not all will be anecdotal. That can cause problems for many ‘quants’ out there.
I would guess — while I believe these systems can and do impact tangible returns like an increase in revenue and a decrease in expenses — there is really no way that you can eliminate (at least in a real business climate) the variables that affect behavior. But with enough anecdotal evidence, you can piece together a proper idea of the effects of information technology on said business climate.
If we look at a case in which an industry that is primarily driven by other means, such as the Banking sector, one can’t imagine an environment where technology wasn’t a strategic asset. Banks certainly can’t focus on their trading and asset management without a proper IT strategy, and it needs to go to the heart of the organization so that it influences individual behaviors and roles. Otherwise, focusing on any other opportunity or strength is in vain, and the firm is destined to fail regardless. This can be related to any number of industries including the energy sector.
And when they fail at IS&T it can be disastrous for the firm, and should be noted when determining any future strategy.
by Erik on July 3, 2009
in Alternative Energy, Asia, Business Logic, Economy, Green Tech, IBM, Jobs, Markets, New Tech, Obama, Recession, Technology, Unemployment, Weekly Roundup
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Serendipitously, I just uncovered a post relating to IBM and social media use guidelines, which I wrote about yesterday with regard to the Associated Press’ new policy. IBM’s document is a “public submission to the Department of Homeland Security as part of their Privacy Workshops they hosted in Washington D.C. earlier this week.”
Particularly interesting to my discussion is IBM’s take on what it means to engage your staff in social networking, and how to set the proper expectations with your people:
Both governments and business must adopt such capabilities responsibly and thoughtfully, with proper consideration ofthe risks, governance, and legal issues introduced by Web 2.0. Organizations must implement policies that clarify the boundaries ofappropriate use for participants and take steps to protect proprietary or classified materials.
They must set expectations concerning data ownership, visibility, longevity and privacy. The deliberate and thoughtful establishment and implementation of such policies is an essential step toward making Web 2.0 tools suitable for business and government.
First thoughts: I really think it is great that an organization strives to be forward thinking and embraces new technology as readily as I believe IBM does. It is one of the few firms that relishes in the fact that they have the foresight to stay ahead of emerging trends and to ultimately take action when needed to utilize those trends for business purposes. With that foresight, I also realize that it is important (and essential) for a firm to minimize risk, but it is equally essential for a firm to allow their teams to express themselves and explore their creativity–which allows people to “become a global publisher for free – in minutes” when using Web 2.0 tools.
Social Networking Guidelines
On the same point, I also think a hard line document like the one set out by the AP is a bit of a stretch for acceptable use-policies and the managing directors within the Associated Press should consulted the guidelines set forth in the IBM document posted above. “In the mid 1990s, IBM similarly issued a set of Internet Use Guidelines for employees, while encouraging all employees personally to explore and become expert in the use the Internet.” Use Guidelines like the ones IBM enacted enables innovation and knowledge to grow, while the AP guidelines can be seen as nothing other than a set of rules set out to stifle the creative expression of their workforce.
One of my biggest learns from Adam’s snippet was the shear volume and intensity of the IBM social media platform. Not only does the organization provide guidelines for use of these tools, but the company also actively promotes the technology. IBM says they “did so in order to encourage collaboration and provide greater outside exposure to IBM’s greatest asset – its employees.” That sentence in and of itself speaks to the culture that Big Blue maintains.
Globalization and Sustaining Growth
I also wanted to bring attention to one other snippet that caught my eye on Adam’s site: IBM recognized the opportunity to tap into individuals’ use of social media as a way to flatten a geographically and organizationally dispersed employee population and to encourage more learning, collaboration and development – both inside the company and with external parties. Further, our research indicated that the personal interactions individuals have with IBM employees – online or face-to-face – have a more powerful influence on shaping the individual’s perception of IBM’s brand than any other form of communications, marketing or advertising.
Again, I think the focus on the employee, is partly why IBM hires and retains the top talent from around the world, and maintains industry leader status within the many areas it serves.
Check out what Adam had to say here.
Wired.com posted an article pointing to a new set of guidelines from the AP regarding a corporate policy about staff posting to twitter and Facebook.
The Associated Press is adopting a stringent social-networking policy for its employees, informing them to police their Facebook profiles “to make sure material posted by others doesn’t violate AP standards.”
The policy (.pdf) comes weeks after an AP reporter was reprimanded for posting a comment to his own Facebook profile criticizing the Sacramento-based newspaper chain McClatchy, whose stock has become nearly worthless after a string of costly acquisitions.
I’m not sure what to think about this one. I think it’s a bit of a concern when an organization that wraps itself in the first amendment tells their staff that they are not allowed to have first amendment rights themselves (as Tony Winton points out in the article).
On the other hand, I believe it is important for employees of large corporations to understand that even in their off time, they are representing these firms, and their written word–whether on facebook or twitter–carries weight for that organization.
Working for another large firm, I know it would be improper to post inappropriate or embarrassing information online that could hurt my firm, and I certainly wouldn’t do so knowingly. The only part that is tricky, is that with these guidelines, it makes AP staff responsible for their “friend’s” postings, even if done so without the knowledge of the staffer.
How can that even be enforced?
