Johannesburg, 30 Sep 2014
In the previous article, we explored IT's feelings towards business, and in the piece before that we looked at how business sees IT. From both discussions, a common problem was exposed: a lack of integration and communication between the two powers.
It can be said that both business and IT are wrong in their assumptions of each other, because in most situations neither are fully aware of what the other does and are therefore oblivious to the other's objectives and requirements.
Business is convinced that IT is nothing more than a means to an end, a way of executing their objectives in a far more efficient manner than ever before. At the same time, business is often hampered by the ability and willingness of IT to comply with its requirements. For IT, business is a necessary evil, the Dr Frankenstein with all the ideas but none of the skill to create his monster. Arguments for both sides are persistent and numerous, with no obvious winners.
This division can only retard progress in the long run, as business' great ideas are restricted by IT, and IT's quests for efficiency are questioned by business. This is literally born of ignorance, not of each other, but of themselves. Business refuses to sully its hands with the technical stuff because it fears creating something it cannot control, while IT shrinks away from the "bigger picture" that is the market. Business and IT need each other to operate at their best, but spend too much effort ignoring each other for it to be an effective relationship.
For business, the market is their world. They exist to maximise profits and reduce costs. Their purpose is to provide direction in "the bigger picture". Business is dependent on its own ability to predict and adapt to changes in the market. Business has to deal with the human factor: the most unpredictable and random force in the known universe. Therefore they need a solid base to work from that is as dynamic as they are. Business relies on IT to change with it in the way it defines, but that's not how IT works.
For IT, their world is all they have and want. They exist to maximise efficiency and reduce delays. Their purpose is to provide the tools that modern business requires to operate. IT is dependent on its ability to adapt to itself and carry the rest of the world with it. IT has to deal with the technical factor, which is as solid and grey as concrete. Therefore they require direction and imaginative leadership without getting in the way of stability. IT relies on business to provide that direction, but business is too eccentric for IT to fill in all the gaps.
Solving this problem is never easy. Communication can be feigned, collaboration can only lead to division and ignoring the problem makes it harder to fix later. There's only one thing that can bridge the gap, the very thing that brought them together in the first place: technology. Technology has the power to bring business and IT together because it takes no sides. IT might build it and business might commission it, but both business and IT use it. The right technology can solve the old question of the unstoppable force versus the immovable object.
So what kind of technology is needed? It needs to be able to provide business with the flexibility they require, and be as stable as any rock for IT's sake. It needs to be like children's' funny putty, malleable enough to be shaped into anything desired but solid enough to bounce from any surface it's thrown against. It must be able to apply business' own logic, and be able to keep up with each and every major advancement in the IT world.
This kind of technology is possible, and has already been done. See www.ccclx.net for more details.
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