I just read a fantastic article from a newly discovered blog.
Mike Schaffner writes that...
It is generally accepted that CIOs need to "market" information technology inside a corporation to get other executives and employees to think of it as a strategic area of operations and not just a cost center.
What concerns me is that these marketing efforts may be undermined by efforts to "un-market" information technology. IT seems to be the only area of an organization that I can think of that actively discourages people from using its "product" even if they use it properly. Tobacco, liquor and gambling all have warnings to discourage use, but even they don't seem to take it as far as IT. I don't imagine any of us ever thought of IT as a "vice." Some examples:
- We promote the use of e-mail but then limit the amount of inbox storage or the size of files that can be attached to e-mails.
- We tout the Internet as a data goldmine and then we block people from visiting so-called non-business sites. Sometimes it is human resources pushing this, but sometimes it is IT.
- We provide people with a PC as a tool to make their job easier but lock it down so they can't add programs or even choose their own wallpaper.
- We warn people of the dire consequences of not using the application properly, threatening them with legal action every time they use the application or start their PC.
As with any change management effort, the behaviors we incent are the behaviors we see. Promoting a new technology inside the company is necessary to achieve utilization and ROI.
When we cut back on what we deliver, such as limiting mailbox size, it comes across as not making good on our promises. People are disappointed and feel misled. What can we do to mitigate the consequences? A few suggestions:
Do we explain why we have to limit the use of technology? People may not like the answer but they may be more accepting of it they understand the reason.
Do we train people in alternative ways to use IT? If, for example, we limit the size of everyone's inbox, do we train people on how to best utilize the space they have?
Do we provide a responsive support structure? If a site is blocked as "non-business" and it turns out that it shouldn't be blocked, do we have the support structure in place to unblock it quickly? Or do we handle it as a routine trouble ticket and get around to resolving it in a few days?
After all, part of our marketing should be to promote IT as a service organization.
So Mike Schaffner asks the tough question...how do you think we can avoid the un-marketing of IT?
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