1. Recognize IT and business are inseparable
IT and business strategies are now fully intertwined, observes Jay Upchurch, EVP and CIO at analytics vendor SAS. “There’s no good business strategy without an IT strategy supporting it, and there’s no good IT strategy that isn’t aligned to business strategy,” he says. “The best way to ensure alignment is to make IT leadership an active part of organizational leadership.”
Having a seat at the strategy table helps IT push the business forward. “It allows businesses to be the best technologically enabled version of themselves,” Upchurch says. It’s important for CIOs to advise on, acknowledge, understand, and deliver on the business plan to create an effective IT roadmap that aligns to the organization’s business strategy.
2. Know each function’s goals, challenges, and interests
To ensure alignment and long-term success, IT leaders must understand the unique challenges each of their business colleagues face, and how to find the most effective balance across the organization, says Bill Bragg, CIO at AI SaaS firm SymphonyAI. “Since there’s no universal model across business functions, IT must always keep in mind how they are leaders and partners of change in the corporation, whether it’s at a technical, business, or human change management level.”
