Unleashing the Power of IT: Bringing People, Business, and Technology Together (Wiley CIO) - Hardcover

Roberts, Dan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0470920424 ISBN 13: 9780470920428

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 2011

Synopsis

Timely guidance for transforming IT into a strategic business partner

Today′s leaders are expected to reduce costs, increase productivity, drive innovation and help the business identify and pursue new business opportunities. Successful IT leaders will be the ones that become strategic business partners and decision influencers in their organizations. Unleashing the Power of IT describes in actionable detail, the new mindset, core skill set, and interpersonal tool set that are necessary for IT leaders to thrive in today′s increasingly complex challenging business environment.

• Provides tangible, hard–hitting, real–world strategies, techniques and approaches that will immediately transform your IT workforce and culture
• Includes Top Ten lists of tips and techniques, proven frameworks and practical guidance to help you launch and sustain your IT culture change and professional development initiatives
• Addresses how to build a client–focused IT culture; move your organization from order takers to trusted business partners, market IT′s value, lead change with confidence, manage projects and vendor relationships

A special feature of this book includes a chapter profiling several world–class organizations that have implemented the principles in this book. Learn about the culture change challenges they overcame and benefit from their best practices and successes.

About this title

About the Author

Dan Roberts is President and CEO of Ouellette & Associates Consulting, Inc., the IT leadership and professional development company known globally for developing the "human side" of the IT equation. Drawing on more than twenty–five years of industry experience, and based on their work helping more than 3,000 IT organizations transform their workforces and cultures, Roberts and his team share a road map for succeeding in today′s increasingly complex, ever–changing business environment. Roberts has contributed to several books and published numerous articles in leading industry journals on topics relating to IT transformation and preparing IT for the future. To learn more, visit www.ouellette–online.com.

OUELLETTE & ASSOCIATES CONSULTING, INC., has worked with more than 3,000 IT and shared service organizations since its founding in 1984 and is the leading provider of IT professional development and project management training, focusing on the "human side of technology." Unleashing the Power of IT: Bringing People, Business, and Technology Together has been years in the making and is based on this extensive real–world experience.

From the Back Cover

Praise for Unleashing the Power of IT

"Ouellette & Associates has done an excellent job outlining the critical elements of a collaborative IT environment and pointing out the steps IT professionals can take to become strategic business partners. Unleashing the Power of IT: Bringing People, Business and Technology Together offers keen insight into ways we can maximize our skills to create value for businesses. The advice in the book is practical and, most important, actionable." Barbara Koster, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Prudential Financial, Inc.

"O&A continues to lay down the foundation for the future. Just like they have been doing for over twenty–five years, O&A has captured the pulse of the industry. Their vision in defining the transformation of IT is exactly where we all should be focused. The game has changed, and O&A recognizes the need to transform ourselves into a new set of skills that are in tune with our organizations." Alan Guibord, Founder, The Advisory Council

"This book is concise and readable. More importantly, it provides insights and examples to which any IT leader can relate. Anyone that wants to get better, and make their organization better, will find ideas and action plans in this book." Don Imholz, CIO, Centene Corporation

"During my years as CIO, I have learned that the role is quite complex and success requires close attention to a very broad range of responsibilities. O&A′s new book provides a practical, thought–provoking road map for those IT leaders who are striving for organizational excellence. Bringing people, business, and technology together is the theme of the book and serves as a constant reminder of the balance required by the transformational leader. I highly recommend that IT leaders read and then re–read this book." Don Desiderato, Principal, Novarica Insurance Practice

From the Inside Flap

While CIOs and IT leaders have faced challenges never seen in the history of their profession over the past few years, they′ve also been responsible for producing an awareness throughout their organizations that technology really can be a game–changer. From a business leader′s perspective, market forces such as globalization, consumerization, and increasingly savvy consumers have turned technology into a key differentiator as companies seek to expand into new markets and create a competitive advantage.

Written for CIOs and IT managers, Unleashing the Power of IT is designed for you to immediately begin using the best practices and proven strategies found within this book. Rather than writing from a 30,000–foot level, author Dan Roberts has combined big–picture context with specific advice you can use in your next planning session, staff meeting, or client interaction. Based on proven approaches that generate results, this practical and applicable book takes a close look at:

• Creating your twenty–first–century workforce and culture

• Transforming your IT team

• Building a customer–centric IT culture

• Moving from order takers to consultative business partners

• Negotiating agreements while strengthening relationships

• Managing the art and science of projects

• Sharpening your political savvy

• Marketing IT′s value

Cutthroat competition is forcing continuous innovation, and government regulations are driving constant introspection all fueled by technology. Interact with customers through online communities. Use social media to enhance customer loyalty. Find new product and service innovations. Do it all with the invaluable guidance and wellspring of vital information found in Unleashing the Power of IT.

Edition details

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0470920424
• ISBN 13: 9780470920428
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288