Business Transformation Requires Transformational Leaders

There is nothing better than risk mismanagement and not learning from past mistakes to steal away from an organization's or even an industry's future. The banking and mortgage underwriting community is -- once again -- painfully relearning this truism.

On a recent drive to a client site, my navigation system suggested that I drive away from my destination rather than drive toward it. In clear, succinct, familiar tones, my online guide told me to "Continue 1-point-2 miles. Then turn left." Like a lemming, I obeyed.

One of the most dramatic outcomes from our 2010 survey on IT budgeting (see "IT Trends 2010: IT Shop Holds Own in Turbulent Economy," Cutter Benchmark Review, Vol. 10, No. 1) comes from a question about the work that respondents are currently or planning to outsource.

In August, I said that we are seeing an increasing number of organizations developing mobile BI applications (see "Mobile BI Comes of Age," 10 October 2010).

We all talk about acting in a culturally correct manner. We know that some cultures take a negative view of giving someone a thumbs-up sign or even shaking with the left hand. And when we travel to emerging markets, we try to follow these cultural rules.

The devastation in traditional publishing needs precious little mentioning.

As I outlined in my previous Advisor ("Getting a Grip -- Demand Management, Part I: Basic Concepts," 15 September 2010), demand management means handling business demand for IT in such a way that it reaches a harmonious and beneficial relationship wi