Mastering the 7 Dimensions of Business-Technology Alignment

A Practical Guide to Harnessing the Power of Business Technology Alignment in the Digital Era

Ashish Pachory

• Publisher: Business Expert Press
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781949991796
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: IT Industry
• Index: Business

The force-multiplying power of business-technology alignment is acknowledged among the biggest contributors to enterprise success in the digital age. Even so, it is a missed opportunity in most organizations, or at best, restricted to a unidimensional coalition.

Successful digital enterprises define alignment between business and technology along multiple dimensions. They invest in this alignment at the level of their culture, strategy, structure, process, intellect (innovation), function, and tactics. A systematic understanding and embracement of these seven dimensions of business technology alignment is at the core of a successful digital enterprise.

Using familiar workplace paradigms and relatable examples, this book builds on each dimension of business-technology alignment towards strengthening the foundation on which a successful digital enterprise stands, using tricks and tips not found in textbooks and classrooms.

If you are, or aspire to be, in an organization that relies on a convergence of business and technology to achieve success, this book is meant for you. It builds upon fundamental ideas in a manner designed to strike a chord in everyone—from interns to entrepreneurs.

CHAPTER 1

The Culture Connection

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” [Will Durant]

Culture connects. Accordingly, people align best when they are connected by a common culture. Therefore, let us begin our conquest of Business–Technology alignment (BITA) with a victory over the culture dimension.

Culture is the foundation on which the collective identity of a group—which could be a community or a corporation—is built. It arises from a set of fundamental beliefs that are consciously, consistently, and collectively demonstrated by members of the group in their thinking and behavior. That is why companies have a belief system, which prescribes a code of conduct—for example, putting the customer first, conducting business ethically, displaying personal integrity, setting high standards of quality, treating people with respect—that every employee is expected to emulate in word and spirit. The belief system lays the foundation of the organizational culture. An organization has character when it does not compromise on its belief system, irrespective of inducements, compulsions, or consequences.

In a word, culture is the organization’s DNA. It gives the organization the personality that it is recognized by. However, it is a dynamic sort of personality, as organizational culture must adapt to the changing times, albeit with some immutable aspects. Of course, it requires a conscious, organization wide effort to weave an altered set of common behaviors, but culture change can be induced. It is important, though, to know your current bearings and the direction to follow, before embarking on the journey of transformation. We’ll devise a simple method in this chapter to help in this effort.

As enterprises transform to digital, it is common to have concerns over the cultural shift required. People ask: I can upgrade my technology infrastructure, but can I also transform my organizational culture to suit the needs of a digital enterprise? After all, we are now entering a new arena with largely the same set of people who are used to an entirely different cultural setting at work. The short answer is, you can. However, even though we have an innate ability as individuals to cross cultural barriers and adapt to new settings, when it comes to transforming organizational culture, it’s somewhat more daunting and cannot be trivialized.

Example 1.1

I was associated with a company many years ago, where a strong and indomitable code of conduct subordinated every other consideration, in...