Three “RIGHT” Elements in Running Digital IT

Forward-thinking organizations are reinventing the IT tarnished image, and transform IT from a cost center to a value creator, from a maintenance support function to a proactive innovation engine, and ensure it is doing the RIGHT things in the RIGHT way. Here are three “RIGHT” Elements in running digital IT.
Deliver the RIGHT information: IT is the information steward of the modern business. Managing the information and the information position of an organization is what ought to be called Information Management. Information Management is to connect people with the right information at the right time & location, to ensure that accurate information is accessible and shared within relevant business functions to make the right decisions. Nowadays, information is the lifeblood of digital business,  Information Management is about processing information to ensure that information has the right quality (accurate, right, integrated, complete,...), that the information is used properly with effective risk management. Today the recognition of information management is maturing with boards being educated on the power of information adding to the bottom line & top line business growth. Therefore, one of the critical responsibilities for IT is to break down information silo, manage information and extract its business value cost-effectively.
Running IT with the RIGHT speed: The emergent digital technologies are the disruptive forces of digital transformation. Unfortunately, many IT organizations have been perceived by business partners as being slow to change, and there are gaps created between IT and the rest of the company. Digitizing IT means to speed up, adapt to changes, and keep optimizing. How to run IT with the RIGHT speed: fast enough to ride above the learning curve and lead change, but also steady, to keep the business running smoothly. More and more businesses expect the consumerization style responsiveness from IT. Many IT departments operate in silos with separate teams delivering separate functional tasks: backup, monitoring, administration, risk control. Effective automation should first examine these functions and understand the connections and define any constraints in the system. Running IT with the RIGHT speed means that IT has to not only improve its own speed, but also overall organizational agility to close the gaps between IT and business. IT needs to ensure its strategy allowing for digital speed.
The RIGHT people with the right mindset, capabilities, and skills: IT talent shortage and skills gap is a reality, not fiction. This is particularly true at the journey of digital transformation. Because IT is no longer just a support center or help desk. IT leadership needs to be more innovative and transformative, and IT professionals have to learn the new skills and business the new capabilities to adapt to the digital new normal, in this regard, the RIGHT way is to explore the new possibilities, and discover the BETTER way to solve problems. From IT talent management perspectives, it’s important to identify the skill gaps and define the technical/functional competencies required to achieve business goals. From culture innovation perspective, IT leaders always should ask themselves whether the workplace is healthy enough to attract the best and brightest, and how to unleash the collective human potential for achieving a high-performing business result for the long term. Building the digital pipeline to complement traditional HR management practices. Find the right people through what they think and how they act, and integrate talent management, culture management, and performance management into a holistic people management approach in having the right people in the right position to do the right things.
The RIGHT speed keeps IT dynamic, not static; the RIGHT IT leadership drives changes, not just reacts to the business requests; the RIGHT IT talent is learning agile, keeps building the new skills and capabilities and improve IT/business effectiveness and efficiency, and the RIGHT information IT delivers can help business to oversight business operation, also capture customer insight and business foresight for businesses’ long-term prosperity.
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu