Unleashing the Power of IT: Bringing People, Business, and Technology Together

Chapter 11

Driving Change with Intent

The topic of change has been a constant theme throughout this book. Whether you are leading large-scale organizational transformation initiatives, a large or small project, or expanding the skills and capabilities of your workforce, you are embarking upon change.

Today's business world is one of change—constant, inevitable, unending change. And in this world, the only people who will survive are those who learn to turn on a dime. It's true for companies, as well—those who effectively create a culture of change are the ones rising to the top of the marketplace.

Nowhere is this more true than within the IT organization. Not only do IT leaders need to embrace change, but in many cases, they're also the ones shouldered with the responsibility of making change happen throughout the enterprise. Look at what IT does every day—whether it's helping the company develop more innovative products or services, hone the bottom line, streamline the supply chain, or comply with new regulations, the projects that IT is involved in always involve aspects of change—to people, processes, systems, or all three.

You might wonder then, why IT leaders don't spend time focused on the possibility of these types of changes not taking place, especially considering the risks involved—the risk of delays or running over budget, the risk that the new tool or system doesn't get used as planned or doesn't meet the business objective. The fact is, change doesn't just happen. ...