11.26.09
Where Did IT Respect Go?
[Cartoon]
Over the last few decades, the respect for Corporate IT seems to have faded. For those in the IT business, they do not have the same level of excitement that once existed. A job seems to be just a job.
What could be the reason for this? If you listen to the vendors like IBM, Oracle, SAP, and others peddling development tools, then the huge demand is to become more agile. They say that by becoming agile, IT projects can be done faster and cost less. If they are right, this would certainly address the greatest complaints about Corporate IT. This is the complaint that they cost too much and take too long to complete projects.
Then there is the possibility that we are entering into a new age. Nicholas G. Carr suggested in his book, Does IT Matter (1), that IT may simply be commoditized. He goes even further and suggests that IT provides no competitive edge and should simply be viewed as a required cost to do business. What a downer for Corporate IT!
As an Enterprise Architect, I believe all of the reasons given are valid. Business organizations should be able to get solutions faster and at a lower cost. Commoditization can only help to bring this about.
But, there is a bigger issue than those mentioned. It is buried in the complex infrastructure that allows business organizations to smoothly integrate their IT processing across their applications and with business partners. This is an area that is mostly unseen by the business until something goes wrong.
This big issue is not the communications backbone, enterprise service bus, secured transactions, or service interfaces. It is the lack of understanding that the lines-of-business have of the specifics of the flow of information. Because of its deep dark technical complexity, Corporate IT organizations are usually left to make all decisions in this realm. The business only pays attention when something goes wrong, which usually results in blaming IT.
The business should require that all aspects of information processing be visible so they can understand and make all business decisions. This does represent a shift of control that will only confirm the concept of commoditization. But, it will have a major impact on project cost and delivery time. As for whether technology can give a business a competitive edge, that will be up to the innovative capability of the business organization.
So IT has not lost respect, it has simply changed. IT guys use to be the sole providers of solutions by applying their knowledge and innovativeness. Now, they are looked upon as technologists. They are individuals with highly trained skills that demand high pay. They are respected for their ability to apply technology. What they have lost is the respect of being business-focused.
Fortunately, business-focus is what Enterprise Architects are all about. They can facilitate and coordinate with the business while working directly with those that provide the applications and infrastructure. Respect can be regained and nurtured.
(1) Nicolas G. Carr, Does IT Matter? Information Technology and the Corrosion of Competitive Advantage (Boston, Mass, Harvard Business School Publishing, 2008)
