CSC: Experience. Results

Home > Research

Forward-thinking CIOs recognise the challenges posed by business/IT co-evolution, and are keen to move their functions up the value chain beyond the traditional role of providing reliable IT systems and services.  Experience has shown, however, that successful adoption of more advanced relationships calls for much more than the appointment of relationship managers; it requires a profound re-thinking of the IT function’s operating model. 

This paper will review current thinking around the types of relationships that need to exist, identify cases where organisations have successfully implemented advanced business/IT relationship models, and determine the criteria for success.  Recent LEF research work has surfaced how these challenges vary according to organisational function.  The business/IT relationship is usually strong in areas such as customer service, finance and supply chain, but is often less robust in  areas such as sales, marketing, and 'Product IT'.  Such differences also tend to vary by industry.  This paper will explore why this is so and what can be done to improve the less well developed areas.