Style matters when running IT: too slow, and your business misses out on market opportunities; too fast, and you will find yourself spending money to transform or amplify operations when the business can’t fully utilize it. Misalignment between IT and business means wasted money and/or opportunities lost. Only the optimal balance of IT capabilities will let you run high-performance IT — the pursuit of continuously improving business results through technology. The High-Performance IT: Velocity And Momentum report explains how technology leaders can run IT with the right velocity and momentum in order to deliver and sustain high-performance IT. Technology leaders can accelerate their high-performance IT efforts with an optimal balance of investment in the right IT capabilities across the four high-performance IT styles. See the figure below:
Your IT Journey Has A Dominant Style But Is Balanced Across Four Different IT Styles
For example, if the organization at large is seeking to take a leadership position in the market, that business intent may drive IT to be largely in the transforming style, which would then be considered the current dominant IT style. Other IT divisions, however, may need to select a different style, such as the enabling style to ensure that the foundations are in place for breakthrough technologies. Yet another division could be in the co-creation style to work with business leaders to develop new offerings.
The point is that a balance across the four styles is dynamic and must adapt to meet and enable the needs of business objectives at that moment. Business leaders must adjust to market and economic demands, and IT must always be ready for those adjustments by recalibrating the balance of their styles. IT styles will vary across divisions within an organization. Recalibration of IT styles coincides with changes to business dynamics, which then requires different balances of the IT styles.
It’s An Old Story, But High-Performance IT Requires People, Processes, And Technology
The key drivers that contribute to high-performance IT velocity are as you might expect: agile and DevOps practices, automation and orchestration, cloud computing, and continuous integration/continuous delivery pipelines. The role of culture and leadership can’t be ignored, however. Strong leadership and a supportive organizational culture that addresses leadership alignment, talent development, and change management is also required. With strong leadership, continuous improvement, and effective measurement, organizations can sustain high-performance IT velocity and drive long-term business success.
High-Performance IT Is For Every Organization, And Its Adaptability Is By Design
Achieving high-performance IT velocity is crucial for organizations to thrive in today’s digital landscape. By embracing agile practices, leveraging automation and cloud computing, and nurturing a supportive culture, organizations can accelerate their IT delivery, enhance customer satisfaction, and stay ahead of the competition. Precise measurement of key performance indicators, continuous improvement, collaboration, and communication are also key. You are and will always be in a constant state of alignment and realignment with ever-changing business dynamics. Think carefully about how you will accurately calculate and adjust the makeup of your team to deliver on business objectives and how IT budget allocations will enable your business to stay relevant in the market.
Join The Conversation
Forrester clients are invited to attend the upcoming webinar on high-performance IT velocity and momentum to get a deeper view into this topic. Everyone is encouraged to reach out to me through social media if you want to provide general feedback. For formal or private discussions, Forrester clients should email inquiry@forrester.com to set up a meeting! Click Carlos at Forrester.com to follow my research and continue the discussion.
