So It's YOUR fault!

Everyone is looking for a magic bullet. It doesn’t matter how hard we try, or how persuasive we are, or for that matter how successful we may be in driving improvement in information technology processes, there is always an inordinate amount of time I know I must commit to convincing management that they HAVE to take responsibility for the work we are doing.

We consistently work during seminars, overviews and one-on-one counseling to help management understand their role. While we get nodding acceptance (aka: lip service), few managers really understand their role and the level of commitment they must make to see the changes through their organization.

· There are those who feel a tool will “run itself” and their people will be able to refine their processes with just technical training on the tool. It doesn’t matter that the processes don’t work. The tool will make it all better!
· Then there’s the committee which feels that a detailed project plan from the consultant will make everything better. As a committee they have to define the tangible deliverables from the consultant. A project plan is one such tangible for which they can hold the consultant accountable. Never mind the committee would not authorize the appropriate pre-work (survey, assessment, gap analysis) that is necessary to understand exactly what should be in the project plan. Oh, and never mind that the “committee” has been told over and over again that there is no “model template’ for an improvement implementation. The project plan needs to be specific to the organization given the current (baseline) capability of their people and processes. No one wants to hear this.
· Then there’s always the senior manager who starts an improvement project with much fan fare about how this effort is going to change “the way we do business.” The first time a business leader pushes back on a change management policy and insists the application go live (even though he/she has been told that it will break), the senior IT leader caves! As a result, the application fails (and probably brings down other customers with it). IT loses credibility, the IT staff learns by example that policy is not enforced and, perhaps even worse, IT management loses the respect of the IT staff. Oh, and the CFO wishes they had just thrown the $150,000 they spent building a change management process in the furnace rather than spend it on a change management system.

I find I need to spend more time helping IT leadership understand what they should be doing, as leaders, to realize an effective and efficient IT organization. Too often, they look to the consultant to "do it for them" or give them a magic formula for their staff to follow when in fact, it first requires change on their part. They don't want to hear that. They don't want to be told THEY have to do something and take responsibility for the way they interact and run their "business". Shame is, if they don't, nothing the consultant can do will drive the improvement that is necessary. Something a columnist said in the local paper today is worthy of note. “…the problem is that city government is a many-layered thing, perfect for politicians who want to avoid responsibility.” Many times a consultant is added as an additional layer to diffuse the lines of responsibility.

It takes courage to be a leader. Hmmm…