Should an IT leader be just the good money manager, making do keeping IT humming along while watching the pennies, or should he/she be willing to put his/her neck on the line for innovation, and an investment in the organization’s future growth and profitability? Most if not all IT leaders would want to say BOTH! But what’s the reality? Is there ever a case for one over the other?
IT’s circumstances vary greatly from company to company.
At one organization management who holds the purse strings and is reluctant to give IT a place at the table as an equal with business line executives, may demand an enablement IT. At another, innovation is desirable, but failure is also risky. At still another organization, innovation is prized, and prudent risk is acceptable.
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- Can an IT leader champion both bean counter and investor mindsets?
- Do the two mindsets have a relationship, as do two sides of the same coin?
- What is the balance, if any, between the two?
- What kind of flexibility is required to ropewalk between the two mindsets, should an IT leader’s organizational situation favor one mindset over the other?
What could you do, as an innovative IT leader to change an organization’s expectations of IT as a bean counter? How would you convince them of the need for innovation and risk? In this day and age of tough economic choices and cut throat global competition, is there any case at all, to be made for a bean counter mindset?
Tune in August 3rd , 2011 for a lively discussion featuring CNO Financial CIO Todd Coombes, Kennametal CIO Steve Hanna, and Wrigley CIO/Mars CTO Vittorio Cretella offer their insights and wisdom on both situations and the flexibility needed to adjust between the two, on CIO Face Off – Bean Counter vs. Investor .
