Is IT more important than other departments in your company?

As a consultant, many times, I’ve experienced the uncomfortable situation in which I have to deal with the heads of IT departments who think this way. Or who focus more on IT devices and systems they favour over others more appropriate for the field in which their organization operates.

This makes the people in the firm have to adopt and adapt to what the IT department dictates, instead of the other way around: the business should be the entity commanding what the needs are, and then IT provide the schemes, systems, and solutions more adequate to it.

Sometimes is even worse when staff has to use specific systems because they’re already in place, independently of their usability or staff usage knowledge, or compatibility and compliance with the existing or planned infrastructure.

Because CxOs don’t know much about such gadgets, systems, methodologies, advantages and drawbacks, they simply accept what IT proposes.

If the company is to be competitive and to thrive, we need to change that mentality and modus operandi.

Information Technology should be a tool for businesses. A very important one, but a tool nonetheless.