Determining IT's Strategic and Tactical Roles

by Niel Nickolaisen, Pollyanna Pixton, Todd Little

Back in the 1990s, IT was considered the genie in the lamp. Want to revise a business process or achieve some other information goal? Just turn the problem over to IT, which will somehow magically make it happen.

Over a decade later, the bloom is definitely off the rose. Today there are many views as to how involved IT should be in business strategy. Nicholas Carr and his acolytes say IT's role is merely to do what the business says should be done as cheaply and efficiently as possible. Others believe that IT can enable competitive advantage by converting new capabilities into better products faster than competitors and by quickly translating know-how into business value.

Join us as we debate the ways IT can -- or can't -- enable business strategy. Learn how to determine whether your IT organization is a strategic enabler or a tactical one -- and how those roles can change over time. Discover how one IT group went from providing basic services to participating in a true business partnership thanks to its "well-formed strategy statements" and savvy industry scanning. If you'd rather be contributing innovative ideas instead of simply executing what you've been handed, don't miss this issue!