The Next Leap in Productivity: What Top Managers Really Need to Know about Information Technology

2.10. Leadership from Above

Paul Cosgrave is commissioner of New York City's Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications. As the CIO of New York City, he oversees the city's sprawling IT infrastructure.

To date, the department's greatest feat has been completing the city's 311 system, a nonemergency "help desk" for anyone with problems or questions about city services. "We've handled 50 million calls in over four years," says Cosgrave. "It's been a huge, huge success."

The success of the 311 project is all the more remarkable because it required the city to unify the operations of approximately 40 separate agency call centers that traditionally had been handling complaints and fielding questions.

Cosgrave is quick to point out, however, that leadership for the project came from above—specifically, from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

"Organizational change requires a vision of what can and what should be done to improve business performance," says Cosgrave. "IT leaders can help business leaders express the vision. IT can be an enabler of change. But change should not be led by IT. For transformational change to really occur, the business leaders—in this case, the mayor—must express and support the vision."

Mayor Bloomberg deserves the accolades he received for the 311 system "because he personally took a leadership role in promoting and developing the system," says Cosgrave. "You need a strong leader to make real change happen."