A lot of you might heap criticism on me after you finish reading this piece. Quick, think of the first complaint that many
non-IT people have against the technology domain. You are right, the first thought that comes to all our minds is the fact that the field of technology is swimming with jargon, with acronyms flooding everyday discourse at a speed that boggles the imagination.
Into this highly jargonised field, allow me to add my two paise. I hereby propose that all technologies being utilised in an organisation be bifurcated under two broad sub-groups: People-Oriented Technology (POT) and Business-Oriented Technology (BOT). POT would ensure that there are a set of technologies tailored around the needs of the people who staff your organisation.
It is not for nothing that it is said ‘people are the most important resource in an organisation’. Any time there is a need analysis carried out and
requirement of technology raised, it should be reviewed under the overall strategy drafted by POT. These strategies will ensure that you get the maximum out of your people resources. Be it talent management, performance appraisals or compensation structuring, POT will ensure that your HR strategies carry a technological cutting edge.
The BOT strategy, on the other hand, is the fundamental backbone of your corporate strategy. It will encompass all your efforts to boost business growth, increase your top- and bottom-line and improve customer satisfaction, among the other corporate initiatives that a firm might carry out. For example, if you want to develop a portal strategy for expanding an affiliate program or if you want to iron out the chinks in your CRM package, your BOT guidelines will help you.
Of course, POT and BOT are not mutually exclusive, watertight and non-overlapping fields. Both these strategies will have to be developed in a symbiotic manner, because they are merely two sides of the same coin. This will ensure that every technology initiative has both business goals as well as people concerns in mind.
Who drafts the POT and BOT strategies for the organisation? The key driver here will be the CIO, who along with the top management and board of directors will draft the POT and BOT strategies for the organisation. The POT team will also have the HR director on board, and the BOT team can
accommodate the VP-Corporate Planning.
Each organisation will have minor changes in
their POT and BOT strategies depending on the
industry they belong to, size and business of the company, geographical and environmental
considerations, etc.
Do you think this two-pronged technology strategy will work for a company? Or will it lead to a dilution in the overall IT strategy? Do write in and let me know.