The Corporate IT group is sometimes viewed as a black hole consuming resources and getting in the way of getting business done. Perhaps there’s widespread misunderstanding of what Corporate IT actually consists of, what it produces, and how it fits within the operations of a company.
Some in the enterprise don’t really know how to engage with and leverage technology to deliver value. If it is hard for those who work FOR the company, it can be even harder to navigate corporate IT as a consultant who has landed someplace to try to address business problems.
Given that corporate IT represents a set of services or capabilities that enable an organization to realize business objectives, it is pretty important for anyone seeking to effect change to understand how to engage with them. Consultants especially need to work with corporate IT in order to deliver promised value for their consulting services (and to collect their fees).
Suffice it to say that “navigating the client’s IT organization” is not typically taught to consultants before they show up to solve business problems.
I wanted to explore this topic with some smart friends. I hit up Chris Potts and R.M. Bastien who have both written and spoken on this topic a great deal.
In this episode:
- What do we actually mean by corporate IT? What does it consist of and what does it usually provide to the rest of the company?
- Why do some IT groups have a dubious reputation for delivering value? This isn’t true everywhere… what makes the difference?
- Why does IT sometimes seem disconnected from the business it is enabling?
- For consultants on technical engagements, what are some tips for establishing rapport with the IT group? For consultants on strategy engagements, how do they engage with client IT groups?
Chris Potts is a globally-recognized enterprise architect, enterprise designer and mentor who has worked in over 27 countries and helps companies, governments and individual leaders with the creative, practical, cultural and political aspects of being successful in their given contexts. He’s the author of a series of books on the value of IT, architecture and how change relates to them both.
R.M. Bastien has worked for over 25 years as a management coach, trainer, and architect. His mission is to help leaders understand and overcome the challenges and limitations of the current corporate IT engagement model, and to achieve higher quality and faster delivery of business goals. He is the author of an executive leadership guide to corporate IT strategy.
Check out their sites and publications below:
- Chris Potts Online: https://chrispottsonline.com/
- FruITion Trilogy: https://technicspub.com/the-fruition-series/
- R.M. Bastien: https://rmbastien.com/
- Understanding the Corporate IT Strategy Game: https://a.co/d/75pPl6X
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