Most books about managing information technology focus on the technical or business aspects of the process, authors Lientz and Larssen claim. But what about the politics and other real-world situations that often play a significant role in how a company deploys its IT assets? "This book provides a down-to-earth approach for better managing IT and achieving increased alignment with the business," the authors say.
And they believe the best selling point to business managers and other readers who have at least some IT oversight is this: "Nothing in this book requires you to spend money."
Among its goals, Manage IT as a Business aims to create alignment between IT and the business: for example, making IT a more proactive and collaborative part of the enterprise, creating realistic performance measurements, and developing a strategic IT plan.
What about the politics and real-world approach? In looking at the question of why IT is sometimes perceived as promising more than it delivers, the authors find fault not in how IT managers design and implement technology, but rather in how they mismanage or misunderstand office politics. One example: "king and queen bees."
"These are individuals who have been in the department for many years. They seldom take vacations. Junior employees rely on them for instructions. King and queen bees have tremendous informal power in departments and they often relish the power. So when IT shows up to consider automation, it is not surprising that they are often resistant to change. They often see, correctly, that automation will reduce or eliminate their power that has been built up over the years. Many IT managers and IT management do not take this resistance into account."
If this sounds like your organization, Manage IT as a Business might be worth your while.
The authors bring lots of experience to the table. Lientz was a project leader in the development of ARPANET, the precursor of the Internet, and is a professor of information systems at UCLA. Larssen was a manager of operations for Toyota Automotive Group and has served as a consultant for twenty-five years. Sean Silverthorne