Help IT Build a Culture of Innovation

We are pleased to welcome this guest blog post from our business associate, Dan Roberts, President & CEO of Ouellette & Associates. As a leading provider of innovative IT training and solutions, Ouellette & Associates helps IT organizations from all industries transition their workforce from reactive, technology-centric, order-takers to proactive, client-centric, providers of choice. We at The Steve Trautman Co. have been working with Ouellette & Associates for several years to bring excellence in talent risk management and knowledge transfer into IT organizations. We think that the research report Dan Roberts describes in this post is interesting and we wanted to share it with you. The ability to anticipate and provide innovative solutions is no longer optional; innovative anticipation has quickly become a strategic imperative for IT organizations. Think about it: Cloud computing. Mobile applications. Social media. Data analytics. The Internet of Things (IoT). Connected devices. Traditional enterprise applications. These are the solutions driving today’s digital business opportunities. Today’s business models, and those of the future, require that IT professionals are innovative anticipators who can provide solutions in an increasingly complex digital business environment. What does it take to make innovative anticipation a reality in an IT organization? Our researchindicates it requires an innovative IT culture. Ouellette & Associates recently partnered with two faculty members from Babson College to examine the factors which create an innovative IT culture. We held interviews with 100 IT senior leaders from over 60 companies across several industries, from healthcare, automotive, financial services, government, technology products, energy, education, and retail. These in-depth interviews, as well as our time observing IT professionals working with their business partners and IT colleagues, helped us identify four keys to unlocking the innovative potential of IT organizations. The IT organizations that have created a culture of innovation:

• Operate from a strategic business perspective. They anticipate the needs of the business and use IT governance to ensure projects are done on-time, within budget and that products meet user and business needs.
• Embed an entrepreneurial approach in their work processes and structures. They use methods such as Agile or Human‐Centered Design to accelerate innovation.
• Invest time, thought and capital in talent management. These organizations hire innovative anticipators, provide opportunities for experiential learning and knowledge transfer, and demonstrate transformational leadership that drive IT innovation.
• Capture qualitative and quantitative business metrics. Innovative IT organizations are measuring their productivity, time to market and business engagement to illustrate the value their innovative IT products and processes provide to the business.

Transforming to a culture of IT innovation requires a business strategy of anticipation and embraces entrepreneurial processes. Effective IT leaders, who have an open mind for new ideas that may run counter to the current way of doing business, play a critical role in helping move their organizations forward. Download the Creating a Culture of Innovation report to gain access to the research results, as well as learn about the ways you can help your IT organization create, sustain and measure an innovative IT culture. SUMMARY: To drive the business forward, IT organizations must create an innovative culture. This requires a strategic approach, an entrepreneurial spirit, the investment in talent management and defined business metrics. By embracing their role as innovative anticipators, IT leaders and professionals can create a culture that puts their organization at the forefront of the business.