IT Alignment Is Passé? Marilyn explains why in her E-Commerce News Expert Advice column
Several years ago, I was spending time with one of my clients — the
CIO of a wholesale clothing distributor in San Francisco — when I asked
him why his employees like it there, what they liked about it, how he
engages them, etc. When we started discussing how important it was that
employees felt that they were being valued, as if they were “part of
something”, I asked how he worked to align with the business. I’ll never
forget his look of incredulity, as he quickly put me in my place. “Align
with the Business?” he asked. “IT IS the business”, he laughed. He
continued on, “look around here”, as he started referencing system and
process by system and process with me, “what would any of this be
without IT? We drive the business.”
I never forgot that, and I suppose I’ve been working on my own thoughts
on “aligning with the business” ever since. Take a look at my recent
E-Commerce News article. I would love to hear what you think.
