In the new digital world, you have to change the narrative about IT
In far too many companies, IT is still seen as a cost center/support function rather than as a direct contributor to revenue, margin and profit growth. Most of the CIOs I’ve talked with over the past several years admit that their budgets have been reduced or kept flat. This says that for whatever reason, the […]
In the new digital world, you need new people in new seats on the bus
In Jim Collins’ seminal book, Good to Great, he makes a very compelling case that getting the right people in the right seats on the bus is more important than your business growth strategy. While that may seem counterintuitive, in the new digital world I think it makes perfect sense. Why? Because with the level […]
In the new digital world, time to value defines competitive advantage
A recent IBM study concluded that “no business can remain relevant by making tweaks. The only way to stay ahead of disruptive change is to embrace it, which means being able to develop and release new products and services within weeks or even days.” One of the major implications of the unprecedented level of digital […]
In the new digital world, barriers to entry no longer exist
Until very recently, most leaders of established businesses believed that the key to creating sustainable competitive advantage was erecting large barriers to entry through scaling the size and market reach of their companies. The reason this approach was successful was the high costs incurred to: Build product development and manufacturing capabilities Create sales, marketing and […]
Using the 4 Zone Model to Build an IT Investment Portfolio
“How much value is IT adding to the business?” This is the one question that most CIOs I talk with struggle to answer. For many organizations, IT’s value is only measured by its ability to reduce costs and optimize the capital expense depreciation of large hardware and software licenses. […]
Implementing the 4 Zone Model Playbook
From Strategy to Implementation: Common Drivers & Expected Outcomes Like any new strategic framework and set of tools and processes, the 4 Zone Model’s value can only be realized through implementation and execution. I have outlined below how some early adopters of the model have deployed different elements of the playbook to address critical issues […]
The 4 Zones Model: A Playbook for the Incubation Zone
Companies have no choice but to up their technology enabled innovation game According to a recent McKinsey study, more than 60% of CEOs expect up to 50% of their earnings growth in the next 5 years to come from “technology-enabled” business innovations. A recent study of CIOs by IDC found that 57% expect to be […]
The 4 Zones Model: A Playbook for the Performance Zone
The CIO is not a “Device Santa Claus” My good friend and technology futurist, Thornton May, clearly defined the CIO’s role when he said “…the role of the CIO is not to be a ‘Device Santa Claus’ but, rather, to craft an environment which empowers executives to create competitive advantage vis-à-vis the innovative and informed […]
The 4 Zones Model: A Playbook for the Productivity Zone
Reversing the IT Resource Allocation Imbalance Equation For decades, senior IT leaders have confronted the financial reality that every year 80% of their IT budgets are allocated to “running the business” while 20% are allocated to “changing the business.” No one can argue how important it is for IT to make sure each company’s systems […]
THE 4 ZONES MODEL: A Playbook to Maximize the Business Value of IT
Defining the Company’s Future Enterprise IT Agenda The disruptive impact of social, mobile, analytics and the cloud is fundamentally changing the ways companies engage with their employees, customers, supply chain partners and other key stakeholders. In order for companies to remain competitively viable in the new world of digitally mediated interactions, they will need to […]
