Infopreneurs

Is information technology (IT) suffering from a crisis of confidence? Judging from the results of surveys, press reports, etc., one could be forgiven for thinking so. Perhaps we should not be too surprised for, since the days when computer technology emerged from the confines of academic research, computers, and the issues surrounding them, appear to have been a constant ‘thorn in the side’ of management. Whether the major issue is one of meeting user–requirements, security, meeting implementation deadlines, training, recruiting and retaining skilled staff, containing costs, or simply making the technology work, one or a number of these issues has been proclaimed as the one which requires the undivided attention of management at some time during the history of IT. Whilst other technologies have had a profound and lasting effect in some industry sectors, IT seems to remains a constant issue to all types of business, large or small.

The marriage of information with digital computers has spawned profound effects on the way that business is conducted and in the nature of work itself. Technological advances and innovations make computing power increasingly cheap and flexible and ever more–pervasive in the workplace and everyday life. As a consequence information technology (IT) has become ingrained in almost every aspect of work and business activity. This continual proliferation has created an underlying force of continual change within organisations first to adapt to and consequently to exploit the opportunities presented by IT. Organisations and individuals are compelled to change the way they work and are challenged on the way they think about their work.

Despite the many significant question–marks over the ability of information technology (IT) to deliver, we are greeted from time to time by the odd success story or two. These ‘pearls’ show how some companies do, in fact, get it right and demonstrate the significant performance improvements which can be gained through the success implementation of IT. However, one problem is that these success stories, though well–known and publicised, are few and far between. Whilst representing only a tiny percentage of the total IT expenditure incurred by industry and government, they continue to be held up as paragons of IT virtue. Although few and far between they provide valuable and powerful lessons on just how significant the contribution of IT can be. Yet, despite detailed analysis of the nature of their initiatives, similar initiatives have proved difficult both to emulate and to define.

The issue of aligning IT to strategic corporate objectives has figured highly among the IT manager’s list of concerns over recent years. Why this should be so may seem perplexing to the casual observer and begs the question‘Don’t people talk to each other?’ Can the issue be so simple as to require only a face–to–face meeting around a table, or the adoption of a rigorous, structured procedure? Or might there be a more subtle issue underlying the obvious symptoms?

Anyone with entrepreneurial capability, regardless of specific vocational skills, displays one particular ability — a‘nose’ for an opportunity. This comes from a capacity to see things from a different perspective or, perhaps more importantly, to see the relevance of something previously unrelated to an existing situation. It is, in essence, the epitome of lateral thinking or — as psychologists refer to it — spatial intelligence. It is this power of association — the connection of two or more things that were previously unconnected — that makes the difference.

If organisations cannot rely on any one technique, method or any other prescriptive form of approach, what can be done to focus IT investments on improving their business? If there is no universal tool that can be wielded to trim an organisation and its business systems to the desired shape, what other approaches are left to us?

If the exploitation of IT can neither be prescribed or summoned up, must the formulation of strategic system initiatives be left purely to chance? Although an organisation cannot act like a ‘short order cook’ whenever it is asked to determine a strategic information system, there are a number of initiatives which can be taken in order to stimulate, capture and communicate IT or information–related innovations. As they are presented, the initiatives are focused on end–user application and the organisational outcome of applying IT to produce or process information more effectively or more imaginatively. However, the principles can equally be applied to the technologists within your organisation by changing the focus from using IT more effectively to that of providing high–quality, cost–effective technical solutions.