Discussing your organizational line-up and tactics
When it comes to innovation, I have daily conversations with different organizations as a Business Developer. It often starts with enthusiastic employees who have an idea. I just love that. Sparring together about the million possibilities in a digital world. Because there are endless options and way too many to choose from, it is important that you know where you stand as an organization. Have you laid the right foundation? In context of the European Championship, I present the Eleven model. A framework for laying the right IT management foundation. Because how do you score the most as an organization in the digital field?
Feint or a Schwalbe
Digital innovation and staying flexible requires creativity and fruitful collaborations. A Schwalbe is easily made when you implement an extremely large application at a small organization or when you end up with a monster application due to a lot of customization. Precisely by making a feint and opting for a different solution, you will be able to score again. It’s OK to move away from the known. It is a process of researching, asking questions and feeling what the best next step could be to get through to the next round.
The Basic Players
As an organization it is important to have a clear vision of your goals. You want to give the assist after a conscious build-up. Reflection will help doing so. What are the dynamics between rearguard, midfield and vanguard? Did you position all the players in the right place when it comes to IT management and governance? Are all players equally strong or strong enough? Organizations want a lot but are unnecessarily side-lined when they move too fast. If your foundations in the line-up of IT and management work, it is easier to move forward on innovation. Sounds logical, but a good start is half the battle.
The Team Model
Let’s look at your players through the Eleven model. Below you will find eleven basic players (management points) that you as an organization have to consider. Reflect and analyse each player and decide for yourself if you are missing something here.
- Coach (You!): As coach it is important to offer players structure, to motivate them, to give them individual attention and responsibility. How do you work as a coach?
- Player 1 – Strategy: How this players ‘strategy’ performance currently measured? Who are the most important stakeholders in your organization? How is innovation stimulated? What is your IT strategy, form of IT management and policies now? In short, what is your tactic?
- Player 2 – People and resources: How is your organization structured? How is knowledge managed? Is there a form of leadership, culture and values that are important? Is there a winner mentality?
- Player 3 – Infrastructure: What does your infrastructure look like? Do you know what happens when problems arise, how and who solves them? Is change management or operations management in place? Is there a service desk?
- Player 4 – Security and Risks: How do you comply with audits? How does your organization ensure continuity? Are risks calculated? What do you do to avoid a yellow or red card?
- Player 5 – Financial: What are the propositions for your organization? How are costs optimized? Are budgets and supplier management in place?
- Player 6 – Data and business intelligence: Do you use BI and reporting? How is your data architecture set up? What is the quality of this data? How is this data sourced?
- Player 7 – Service Planning: What do you do to keep quality optimal? How are existing services analysed?
- Player 9 – Projects: Who manages the projects within the organization? How are the requirements for a project collected?
- Player 10 – Applications: Are existing applications maintained? Are these being developed? Who manages these and how is it determined that there is a need for innovation?
- Player 11 – Meet and greet: Just like with a line-up, there are countless possibilities where you can place players from a strategic, tactical or operational angle. In halftime, vision is discussed. We at Be Empowered aim to guide coaches and their team to a higher level. If you have any questions, or would you like to spar? For a debriefing you can always contact me via ellen.oosterwijk@be-empowered.nl.
