Real Business of IT

How CIOs Create and Communicate Value

Richard Hunter, George Westerman

• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN: 9781422147610
• eBook ISBN: 9781422171776
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business General
• Index: Business

If you're a general manager or CFO, do you feel you're spending too much on IT or wishing you could get better returns from your IT investments? If so, it's time to examine what's behind this IT-as-cost mind-set.In The Real Business of IT, Richard Hunter and George Westerman reveal that the cost mind-set stems from IT leaders' inability to communicate about the business value they create-so CIOs get stuck discussing budgets rather than their contributions to the organization. The authors explain how IT leaders can combat this mind-set by first using information technology to generate three forms of value important to leaders throughout the organization:-Value for money when your IT department operates efficiently and effectively-An investment in business performance evidenced when IT helps divisions, units, and departments boost profitability-Personal value of CIOs as leaders whose contributions to their enterprise go well beyond their area of specializationThe authors show how to communicate about these forms of value with non-IT leaders-so they understand how your firm is benefiting and see IT as the strategic powerhouse it truly is.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• One: Take the Road to IT Value
• Two: Avoid the Value Traps
• Three: Show Value for Money
• Four: Master the Virtuous Cycle
• Five: Find the Sources of New Value
• Six: Assess and Select IT Investments Transparently
• Seven: Integrate Technology, Business Processes, and Organizational Change
• Eight: Measure the Value Delivered
• Nine: The CIO-plus
• Ten: There’s Never Been a Better Time to Be a CIO
• About the Authors