Leveraging IT’s Wisdom to Shape Corporate Strategy

by Moshe Cohen

The business world today is increasingly information-driven: in the way that companies operate internally, in the way they interact with their customers and suppliers, and in the choices they make regarding their products and services. With their finger on the pulse of technology and information, IT organizations can be important strategic assets to their companies, helping them take advantage of new technology opportunities and averting the disastrous consequences of making poor technology bets.

In this issue of Cutter IT Journal, we'll discuss how IT managers can take a more proactive, strategic role within the companies they support. You'll learn how, by rendering transparent the largely invisible networks that connect people and work, IT enables everyone to function more intelligently and makes them more capable of achieving shared goals. You'll hear how IT can contribute to building leadership in a company by identifying and training the right managers to partner with the business units -- and not promoting the wrong ones (no matter how much you think they deserve a raise!). And you'll discover how a business design-centric approach to process automation allows organizations to go from using IT as a tool for cost reduction to releasing its capability as a tool for competitive advantage. If you'd rather lead than "follow or get out of the way," join us as we discuss IT's strategic leadership potential.