Organizing IT: What's the Right Structure?

by Jerry Luftman

The structure of the IT organization is an important factor in supporting a company's ability to respond to market forces and compete effectively. Clearly, IT should be organized in a way that will deliver the most value to the firm, but choosing an organizational structure is not easy. In this issue, we'll examine the different organizational choices for IT so that you can determine which one will work best for your company. Is your primary strategic objective profit? Asset utilization? Growth? Find out which IT organizational structure best fits each of these strategic directions. Learn how pairing business product teams with their own dedicated IT units can produce high-output team velocity combined with ever-growing domain knowledge and experience. Finally, discover how adopting a sports team's approach to recruiting, specialized positions, coaching, and retention can turn your IT organization into a winning franchise.