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What strategies are CIOs using to close the gap between services their organizations have deployed and the services used by employees?

Much has been made about the gap between services Enterprise IT deploys and how much those services are actually used by employees. To remain competitive Enterprise IT must implement strategies that drive awareness and adoption.

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John S.

Visionary, Strategic, Clear Thinker: Doer!

You're not asking a very simple question here. It sounds like the correct answer is to train users better, but that may not be the right approach.

There are many different ways to look at the issue.

One of the most important questions is who is deciding on the tool set. Some IT deployments look great on paper but when users get to use them, these same tools become too much of a hindrance and get abandoned. At the same time, you don't want to ignore things like safety, security, etc.. so a little hindrance may be necessary.

And if the tools are in fact useful and necessary, what else are the users employing to get their work done without them, and why?

Are you solving more of the trivial problems the users are having at the expense of bigger issues.

Is a corporate revision of procedures etc... a better way to achieve objectives?

These are just some of the immediate thoughts that I get when reading your question. It seems like the time to have monthly user education meetings and start listening.

Answered over 9 years ago

Christian Jantz

Cloud & Automatization professional & Founder

Lead by example and just use the software by yourself. The best example of this happened with one of my clients where the guy who implemented Atlassian Confluence helped everyone format the pages right and just constantly put all notes and documentation in there. It didn't took more than a few weeks for a corporate (!) environment to adopt to this new Wiki engine.

Answered almost 9 years ago

Joy Broto

🌎Harvard Certified Global Corporate Trainer🌍

To improve technology outcomes, Information Technology departments must work strategically with each business unit to understand their objectives and the operational plan to achieve their goals. To help organizations adapt and thrive in the world of constant change, CIOs' business strategy must also shift from the singular role of service provider into an expanded role of strategic business partner to the C-suite. Below are the five steps to take on your CIO business strategy journey. To align with the push to maximize revenue, it is crucial that CIOs develop a robust strategic plan with an external focus, driving the business with result-producing changes wherever possible. To add customer value, the CIO business strategy must include engaging with others often internally. Operating with a proactive mindset requires a holistic understanding of the organization’s business processes and insight into how processes impact customer pain points. The CIO’s team has a unique 360-degree perspective of technology and how it fits into the broader technology ecosystem. The end user should know what to anticipate as their proficiency grows – whether that is increased speed, improved reporting, or better customer service. In addition to maximizing the potential for the user, the technology, and the organization, the CIO’s strategic investment in training with a business focus can uncover and mitigate security concerns. Users are the greatest security threat within an organization and are often unaware of the risk they create. Security is a priority for every C-suite member, so avoiding risks and providing peace of mind is one of the surest ways a CIO can become a better strategic business partner.
It is not enough for only the CIO to understand the strategic business side of the organization. To align with all business units successfully, all IT employees must possess a thorough understanding of business concepts, vocabulary, and tactics. CIOs can enable their teams by implementing periodic training on the business basics. IT employees should come to understand the business model, value propositions, and sales cycles. Development should include reviewing business plans, relevant annual reports, operations schedules, and marketing strategies. Investing in broader business-related training requires a considerable commitment.
In a business environment that is rapidly changing, opportunities must be acted on immediately to capture a competitive advantage. CIOs need to embrace a mentality that not only accepts, but also keeps pace with change. Hitting a moving target can be challenging but tolerating all the reasons a project cannot be done is not an acceptable role of an effective strategic business plan. Behind any agile CIO is an agile IT infrastructure and platform. CIOs should be able to strategically describe what this agile IT environment will look like. CIOs should consider building agile IT talent pools, to match an agile infrastructure and platform. CIOs should instead close the IT talent gap by hiring individuals whose skills and strengths can meet the current and future IT needs.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath

Answered about 4 years ago