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Do you share my feeling that something is

fundamentally wrong with the direction and

management of numerous companies, profit

and non-profit alike? At one time, top management used

to engage in long-term strategy, first and foremost

dealing with the intrinsic vitality of their organisation;

their functioning and their attitude resembled good

fatherhood.

Nowadays, they are busy, busy, busy with short-

term results (the quarterly figures almost being long-

term), while mainly exhibiting their own alleged virility

and power. The fathers of our organisations have

become unfaithful macho-men.

Mergers (as they are announced on an almost daily

basis) and take-overs (as they regularly turn out) are

their ritual dances and the financial markets their DJs.

The very fact that, in the meantime, these organisations

must be economised, rationalised, reorganised, closed

down, hived off, trimmed down, outsourced, offshored,

etc, is an unpleasant incidental circumstance, but, of

course due to the omnipresent globalisation, just as

hard-core reality as their golden salaries, their

platinum bonuses and their saffron handshakes.

Thats just the grim way markets function, but,

fortunately, they function the same for everybody, is the

inevitable response. Money is no longer earned by

economic activities, but by money itself.

Do you also share my feeling that something is

fundamentally wrong with the information management of

these organisations?

guest editor

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c o n v e r g e n c e v o l 7 n o 4

Wanted:helmsmen,

not

henchmen

Meaningful information management requires assertive information managers, arguesguest editorrik maes

.

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Information and information technology are cost

centres, only opposing the enterprising dreams of the top.

IT departments all over the world are breathlessly

rationalising, standardising, integrating, streamlining, re-

engineering, downsizing, etc in the vague hope of keeping

pace with the shifting expectations of the top; their future

is glowing, though in India.

Lack of real interest and alienation at the top and

disillusionment and astonishment at the bottom go

hand in hand.

One step further, and they are merely saving costs

and introducing systems in order to put their bosses

minds at rest: KPIs, SLAs, BSCs and other quality

systems (not to mention the SOX carousel) have

replaced reality in these types of organisations.

All that can be done in SAP is also done. Some time

ago, the University of Amsterdam announced that every

academic staff member was supposed to document

his/her own spending of time in order to allow the board

of the university to determine the price tag of one

research hour.

The directive was staggering. How, in heavens name,

was the University of Amsterdam capable of surviving for

the past 374 years without such an essential (yet

fictitious) key indicator?

What is important in this respect, is the following:

information managers, in general and chief information

officers (CIOs), in particular, should pay close attention to

their position in the splits between corporate strategy and

operations.

Strategic business-IT alignment is part of their day-

to-day concern, but they too easily pass over the fact

that the busy-ness on the shop floor and the strategy

at corporate level hardly match.

Not being on the alert for this means that they remain,

as far as the board is concerned, permanently relegated

to the operational level.

The CIO is in this situation barely more than the chief

facilities officer (although the abbreviation for the latter

function looks impressive).

There is only one way to escape from this trap, and

that is by emphasising the importance of information as a

strategic business resource, independently of the

supporting technology.

For too long, information has been governed by IT

people, so that its contribution is basically measured in

terms of the quality of its technical production rather

than in terms of its effective application and its

strategic business impact. CIOs should practise what

they preach: more and more, information is determining

the very identity of organisations, and this should be

reflected in the position and, above all, the mentality

of the CIO.

Enduring, sound and meaningful information

management needs true helmsmen, taking part in any

strategic decision made not henchmen, trying to cope

with any strategic ordeal issued by a board only partially

aware of the full potential of information as the business

resourcepar excellence.

guest editor

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c o n v e r g e n c e v o l 7 n o 4

Information is determining the very

identity of organisations and this shouldbe reflected in the mentality of CIOs

.