Don't Blame IT

This month I really got into watching a British sitcom called “The IT Crowd.” It's a play on words from the common phrase 'the in crowd.' This show is about the IT department of a large corporation called Reynholm Industries. The main characters are hilarious because of their awkwardness and lack of social skills. A woman is added to their team, which changes the dynamic of the group and adds to drama, confusion, and the department's relationship with the rest of the firm. A large part of the comedy comes from the depiction of the average day of an IT person and the types of problems that they have to fix. Each time they pick up the phone, they ask one question: 'Have you tried turning it off and on again?' This seems silly but often the solution to a frozen system is re-booting it. The following question is always, 'Is it plugged in?' The sitcom implies that the average individual has very few computer and IT skills and most problems could be fixed by simple trouble shooting.

Recently, the Harvard Business Review came out with a book on “Aligning Technology with Strategy.” The message in this text is simple-- don't blame IT. We often blame the IT guy that our computer doesn't work or that our phone systems are down. If something isn't working we want them on the phone immediately to solve the problem. The IT department gets a lot of blame and is often the least favorite department in businesses because of the tendency of making these individuals scapegoats for any problems that arise. While I do admit that IT is not perfect, they often get blamed for issues that stem from the user—not the installer or the technology.

Businesses want to keep moving forward, become more efficient, and to innovate faster than competitors. This leads to millions of dollars of investments in IT advances. While innovation is extremely important for competition, it does not stop at purchasing and installing the technology. This is also not the right place to start. How a technology works in your orgnization and how it benefits your business depends a lot on structure and the individuals within. The first steps are developing a set of questions that help you determine what you need, where you need to improve, and then what technologies fit your needs. Think about something like deciding if you want your employees using a Mac or a PC in the office. This depends on their ability to use either machine, the needs of your organization, and how much you can afford to invest.

A large aspect of innovation is preparation. We all know that people don't like change but we expect an upgrade or a new installation to fix a range of problems. Here are some simple tips to consider:

• Make sure that your staff is aware that a change is coming and communicate to them how it will be beneficial to their specific tasks as well as company goals. If they don't embrace the change or see its value, it will be much harder to learn the new technology and to use it to its full potential.

• Train yourself and your staff. Learn as many of the tricks and perks of this innovative change so that you can to figure out what is most beneficial to your department and job functions.

• Keep in mind that your coworkers may not be up to speed on the technology and be patient with them as they adjust

• Make heads of departments or managers responsible for projects and understanding the technology that they will be using within those projects.

• Develop metrics to determine the success and impact of the change. Success or lack thereof needs to be measured.

The final word of advice is, don't blame IT. Often these guys (and gals) are just doing their job. They don't get recognition for the positive results that their work brings to a business but often get blamed when things go wrong. “The IT Crowd” made a joke of this when the CEO of Reyhnolm industries recognized the 'toiled cleaners' in the corporation for their hard work but overlooked the IT department when discussing the success that a recent innovation had brought to the business. This is extreme but the show does get the point across.