When I was CIO of a large health enterprise, I had a boss who was very sceptical of outsourcing. He summarised it by saying “it’s pretty sad when managers say they can’t manage things.”
Very often managers of all kinds of internal IT departments are reluctant to use outsourced services and can be quite hostile to the idea that they could use some help, especially from consultants.
It doesn’t have to be a competition.
One of my clients had a very competent and capable IT manager who took a different attitude. She was extremely good at getting things done, but by her own admission less skilled at explaining to her user community and her management why it was being done (as many who come from a technical background are).
We worked to craft a strategy that engaged management throughout the organisation including the internal IT shop and got it signed off by the board. This made the job of the IT team much easier by paving the way for everything they did from then on.
Whenever anyone questioned why something technical was being done it was easy to point to the connection to the company strategy. It wasn’t just “something that the IT crowd were doing”.
Having a coherent digital transformation strategy isn’t just about knowing where you want to go, it’s also about helping to explain to people why a particular path they’re walking down ultimately leads to the destination they want.
An external perspective can be very helpful in making that happen.
We’re not competing with internal IT people. Most organisations have huge work programmes facing them regardless.
It makes much more sense for everyone to work together to get the best outcomes.
Ray Delany is the Founder of CIO Studio and has been doing this for a while. Why not ask for a no-obligation discussion to help plan your change?
Get industry updates, tech news, and CIO Studio blogs free to your inbox!
Comentarios