IT as accelerator

Mike Schaffner is a senior level IT executive with a manufacturing background.  He knows what it takes to make stuff, and he knows how IT can help or hinder that process.  He just started his blog, and already can claim me as an avid reader.

Last Thursday, Mike wrote a bit about how CIOs can make a credible business case.  His post takes me back to Jim Collins book, Good to Great.  One of the findings that sticks with me from Collins' work is that the best companies used IT as an accelerator - not as an end in itself.

You may remember that Collins' group found that Good-to-Great companies tended to have a sharp focus on their "hedgehog concept" - the one thing they did better than anyone else.  If and only if a particular piece of IT would make them better hedgehogs, they would lead the industry in adopting it.  If an IT widget would not make them better hedgehogs, they either ignored it entirely, or adopted it later than most.

In my opinion, the first thing a CIO needs to do is decide whether or not the proposed project will help the organization become a better hedgehog.  If not, then drop it.  If it will help, then forge ahead on a credible business case.