IT Management Slideshow: Are You a Strategist or an Operator?

Are You a Strategist or an Operator?

Board Recognition

IT strategist organizations are twice as likely as operators to appear routinely on their board agenda. When on the agenda, strategists are more likely to discuss risks than operators.

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Does the CIO Count?

Operators are less likely to have a CIO that participates within the executive team, if they have a CIO at all.

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Investment Guidance

Operators are also far less likely than strategists to have executive management identifying investment opportunities and selecting investments.

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IT Governance Awareness

Business line executives at companies with strategist IT organizations are more likely to be aware of IT governance frameworks.

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Asking for Help

Strategists are also more likely than operators to look for help and guidelines outside the enterprise for formulating governance policies and procedures.

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Maturity Models

Strategists are much more likely to have implemented IT governance than operators, which are often only at the initial stages of governance maturity.

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Maturity Models

Operators are 10% more likely to govern through ad hoc measures, while strategists are 5% more likely to have well-functioning governance and measurement processes in place.

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Geographic Differences

North American and Asian outfits are more likely to run IT as operators, while European organizations are more likely to run as strategists.

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Outcomes Favor Strategists

Operators are more likely to run into barriers that prevent them from achieving full value from application implementations.

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Outcomes Favor Strategists

Base on indices developed by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, strategists experienced 23% better IT outcomes than operators.