Imagine that a patient wants a doctor to rid him of his pain as soon as possible. That same doctor wants his patient to be as healthy as possible. Though there are times the two can be achieved at once, the likelihood is one is at cross-purposes with the other. Health requires a lot more than pain relief.

The CEO and CIO are after the same thing: health. They understand that the business is a system, and all of its supporting systems need to align and function as designed. Many managers and employees are patients that just want the pain to go away.

We have addressed the priorities of customer experience and the first avenue toward it, adapting technology.

IT does not need to fight Shadow IT, they need to train it.

The second avenue toward enthusiastic customer relationship is information technology (IT) as the engine of collaboration. Both CEO and CIO are ready for IT to move past command and control dynamics. Both need IT as collaboration: Business units are controlling their own IT resources, giving rise to shadow IT and multiple vendor engagements. Shadow IT is now projected to outspend central IT. 80% of end users are employing software not cleared by IT, and they are pushing back on what they perceive to be IT control.

Until collaboration takes place – all parties working together toward shared goals – then business will experience turns but not transformation, cross-purposes instead of choreographed-progress, fraction instead of healthy friction.

IT as a collaborative engine allows them to engage all stakeholders when it comes to strategizing, acquiring, delivering and securing technology. As a trusted advisor, IT ensures:

• Consistent customer experience
• Decreased risk
• Enhanced responsiveness to unit demands
• Improved contract value
• Best solutions regardless of source
  There are three keys for the CEO and CIO shaping IT as a collaboration center.

1. IT needs a comprehensive understanding of the business vision.

What forums or training are available to help IT decision-makers have a grasp of what units are seeking to accomplish what goals?

How is IT represented in cross-discipline sessions?

2. IT needs to be postured as an internal consultant.

Understanding of business vision needs to be accompanied with core skills of asking right questions in order to help units clearly define what they are seeking to accomplish with new technology.

IT does not need to fight Shadow IT, they need to train it.

Part of collaboration is the ability of IT to develop a sourcing model so that business units have a right grid for decision-making in acquisition and implementation.

3. Promote business and IT as a learning community.

Mutual understanding and mutual expectations are critical to collaboration.

IT as a collaborative engine allows IT to engage all stakeholders when it comes to strategizing, acquiring, delivering and securing technology.

Mutual understanding occurs when business and IT possess a shared communication language. Clarity needs to emerge on use of language as it relates to behaviors (who doing what), information (what something is) and rules (language around process and automation).

Mutual expectations are managed with an understanding of who will do what, when and how, all rooted in how communication will occur along the way.

Stakeholders understand that business must function from strength. Business as a system is only as strong as functions are aligned. Territorial posturing, loose-canon mentality and political undermining are at war with collaboration. You can win the fight.