I have been remiss in not writing a piece in almost two months. So I am going to make up with a two-part post. This is the first on this topic.
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Every company claims to have a strategy for greater growth and success. Inherent to this is the inclusion of technology strategy. Over the years we have experienced a variety of thoughts being pushed as technology strategy – ranging from “IT is a mere enabler” to “IT can change the game.”
Those of us who work in a tech-heavy environment may believe that all strategy needs to be about technology, and then there are those that insist that technology should not be a consideration until we know what it is we want to accomplish with our core business.
Now, this is where things get interesting... yes, technology is an enabler; yes, technology can change the game; yes, in some businesses strategy for the business is synonymous with technology strategy; and yes, in some businesses it is important to understand how the core business works before we do anything around technology.
Today in an age when your refrigerator is technology-heavy and your ability to get from Point A to Point B is technology-dependent, it behooves us to acknowledge that technology can be a game changer even in a business that has not been traditionally technology-dominated. This is where we must focus for this is where technology strategy can have an impactful bearing on overall strategy. If as a consumer or retail focused business your organization can leverage IT to get between a consumer and the cash register to influence a buying decision, this can be a game changer that alters the dynamics of existing business process flows. If the use of IT can help you figure out, dynamically and in an ongoing manner, what is top-of-mind in what segment(s) of the market, then that can have an impact on your go-to-market strategy. These are but just a couple of very simple illustrations of what technology can do to influence business strategy.
The challenge before many organizations today is, how can we do this in an organized and repeatable manner? How do we make this kind of thinking a habit? That is what I call addressing the business of technology strategy. More organizations need to get into this business.
I will continue in my next post with additional thoughts on this subject; in the meantime I welcome input/feedback.
