In today’s fast-paced business world, technology executives need to possess a diverse skill set akin to famous personalities like Fred Astaire, Amelia Earhart, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. They must understand when and how to apply different capabilities in order to consistently maximize value and performance for their business partners. This requires constantly adapting investment and operational styles to meet the ever-evolving demands of dynamic business strategies.
To achieve this, tech leaders must create a cohesive team structure that combines individuals, processes, and technologies to work towards common business goals. Finding the right balance of capabilities, both human and technological, within and across teams is essential for success. By leveraging the four IT styles – enabling, cocreating, amplifying, and transforming – in the right balance, IT organizations can meet business needs and expectations while aligning themselves for positive outcomes.
Maintaining a clear vision forward is crucial, as there is no steady state in business. Failing to adopt new technologies or moving too quickly without delivering value can hinder progress. Tech leaders must continuously assess their current performance against business objectives and adjust their focus on the four IT styles accordingly.
By prioritizing capabilities that stabilize and protect the business, collaborating on product delivery, optimizing business outcomes with automation and analytics, and driving tech-led innovations, tech leaders can align their IT operations with strategic intents to achieve desired outcomes. It is important to maintain stability, reduce friction between teams, amplify existing practices, and stay ahead of market changes in order to deliver high-performance IT and drive continuous business improvement.
