Why Hasn’t IT Fixed It?

Abstract

Consider the three subject areas of the “eliminating ‘us and them’” theme: IT governance, process management, and human behavior. None of these is a unique function of IT but rather they are all functions of the business. In the absence of the business leading and mastering each of these domains, IT is left to overcome their neglect. The lack of sound IT governance leaves IT to make unilateral business IT decisions. Though some IT organizations may relish the autonomy, insufficient business participation and representation foster the “us and them” relationship. Poor process management in IT is just as damaging to IT’s relationship with the business. And even if the business is able to promote desired values and behaviors in IT, there is little hope of making the most of them if flawed decisions are fed into poor processes.