Convergence, Yes; Alignment, No - ' Different Thought Processes'

How do these differences in governance play out when making infrastructure decisions?
At the alignment stage, the CIO says, "My company is hiring 100 people because it is growing its sales force, so I will invest in an infrastructure that will support 100 new desktops." It's a simple decision. At the converged stage, the CIO may ask whether her company really needs 100 new sales people, or whether are there other ways to increase sales. The infrastructure choice then changes, because the CIO is no longer talking about 100 new desktops, but creating different kinds of sales and distribution systems. The investment decisions represent different thought processes.

The true test of governance is who in a company has decision rights, and over which decisions. Who's involved in these infrastructure decisions if you are aligned and if you are converged?
If you are buying 100 new desktops for sales people, the decision is already made in the sense of needing to support 100 new people. So from the IT governance point of view, the question is whether these new desktops are in compliance with the technology standards that are in place. That decision belongs inside the CIO or CTO's organization. In the other example, should we have 100 new sales people or a new distribution channel, the decision is a collective decision and requires a collective governance process with the CEO and CFO at the same table. In the first case, IT is providing s support; in the other, IT is part and parcel of a group decision.