By Mrs. Tamsin Greulich-Smith, Chief, Smart Health Leadership Centre The often observed gap in empathy and communications between the IT department and the rest of a business can result in a mismatch between expectations and outcomes in terms of technology investments. As organisations attempt to unleash the transformation potential available through digital technologies, take a look at the importance of empathy-based engagement in designing and driving change.

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#ISSlearn
IT MANAGERS ARE
FROM MARS,
BUSINESS MANAGERS ARE
FROM VENUS
UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE &
COMMUNICATIONS
IN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
11 August 2017
Tamsin Greulich-Smith

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Is this what ‘IT’ talk sounds like to the rest of business?
2© 2017 National University of Singapore. All Rights Reserved
series 1, ep 1, The IT Crowd

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Is this how the business interprets ‘IT talk’?
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series 3, ep 4, The IT Crowd

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“I grew up with five brothers and then became a
monk – so women were from another planet”
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business unit managers
CEO
IT managers
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“I grew up with five brothers and then became a
monk – so women were from another planet”

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John Gray’s insights…
“he doesn’t listen, he just gives solutions”
“When misunderstandings arise, remember that we
speak different languages; take the time
necessary to translate what your partner really
means or wants to say. This definitely takes
practice, but it is well worth it”
“we are unique individuals with unique experiences”
“The secret of forming a successful relationship is
for both partners to win”
© 2017 National University of Singapore. All Rights Reserved 6

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“For the past several years we have watched with
increasing dismay at the increasing chasm between
information technology (IT) groups and their business
counterparts.
From where we sit, both sides have legitimate beefs: IT
complains that, despite the increasing penetration of
technology into every nook and cranny of the business, it
doesn’t have a seat at the table and no one understands
how difficult their jobs are given the constraints under
which they operate. The business complains that IT
doesn’t understand the business, consistently
overpromises and under-delivers, and slows innovation.”
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• 51 percent of business leaders expect software
development projects to be delivered within six months,
• 70 percent said it takes longer than that.
• 40 percent said it takes more than a year for IT departments
to produce solutions to support innovative ideas.
"This speed gap keeps businesses from using their software
development capability to disrupt markets by introducing new
products or features first. Instead, these businesses spend
their time following industry trends--reacting to the market
instead of shaping the playing field."
A major impediment is a corporate culture that results in a
lack of collaboration because business executives view the IT
departments as "order takers”
© 2017 National University of Singapore. All Rights Reserved 8

9. #ISSlearn 9© 2017 National University of Singapore. All Rights Reserved 9
Greulich-Smith T, Strategic Alignment of
Business and IT, 2015, NUS-ISS

10. #ISSlearn 10© 2017 National University of Singapore. All Rights Reserved 10
Greulich-Smith T, Strategic Alignment of
Business and IT, 2015, NUS-ISS

11. #ISSlearn 11© 2017 National University of Singapore. All Rights Reserved 11
Greulich-Smith T, Strategic Alignment of
Business and IT, 2015, NUS-ISS

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What does the CIO say?
“A better understanding of the business ensures IT is useful
and relevant. The IT Manager should make efforts to get to
know the whole of his business, not just the IT areas, so that
IT can add real value. Sometimes it’s hard for IT managers to
persuade others of the benefits of their new systems.”
“IT managers should also ask more questions. Perhaps there
is a concern that they won’t look like experts if they ask
questions, but I have always taken the approach that if I’m not
sure, I ask.”
“Stakeholder engagement is also really important.
End users can often feel threatened by the introduction or
proposal of new systems. They think it will streamline them
out of a job. It is vital that the ground floor is engaged in the
decision making process, and that the development of new IT
strategies is not left to the CIO or other managers alone.”
© 2017 National University of Singapore. All Rights Reserved 12
Greulich-Smith T, Strategic Alignment of
Business and IT, 2015, NUS-ISS

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What does the CIO say?
“The Chief Digital Officer increasingly is
replacing the Chief Information Officer in board
rooms.
It’s a more strategic role, whereas IT is seen as
more of a functional vertical”
© 2017 National University of Singapore. All Rights Reserved 13
Greulich-Smith T, Strategic Alignment of
Business and IT, 2015, NUS-ISS

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What does the CFO say?
“At times I think the IT team is trying to run faster
than it should. There are issues that need
addressing before they start trying to procure the
solution”
“Our CEO sees things happening with new
technologies in other countries and comes back
to our IT managers and says ‘why can’t we do
that?’”
© 2017 National University of Singapore. All Rights Reserved 14
Greulich-Smith T, Strategic Alignment of
Business and IT, 2015, NUS-ISS

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What does the Business Director
say?
“The IT teams are embedded in each business
unit and they have to work with the executive
directors to create the right solutions”
“IT isn’t the blocker. If anything, the blocker is
the executive director not being able to prioritise
the necessary funding for IT investments against
other business needs”
© 2017 National University of Singapore. All Rights Reserved 15
Greulich-Smith T, Strategic Alignment of
Business and IT, 2015, NUS-ISS

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What does this mean for digital
transformation?
“Most CIOs feel the digital agenda should be
theirs by default, but in reality fewer than 35% of
today’s CIOs are expected to be tasked with
leading digital transformation.” (Leading Edge Forum, “Digital
Leadership in the C-Suite” 2015)
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Greulich-Smith T, Strategic Alignment of
Business and IT, 2015, NUS-ISS

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Digital Transformation
• “Technology is at the core of every digital
transformation…However, digital
transformation is not about technology” (H.
Moreno, Forbes Insights, Jan 2017)
• 5 key steps identified:
• Strategic prioritisation (funding!)
• Focus on business outcomes not technology
• Maximise data analytics utilisation
• Address HR implications – role redesign/
automation of processes ect
• Create cross-functional teams – collaboration is key
• Digital Transformation is about changing
people and organisational culture – getting
people to think differently
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Digital Transformation
• “Digital transformation requires new ways of
working, not just new technology.” (M. Danoesastro,
G. Freeland, T. Reichert, “A CEO’s Guide to Leading Digital Transformation”,
BCG, May 2017)
• 5 ‘Golden Rules’ identified:
• Find new ways of meeting customer needs, but stay
true to your core DNA
• Adaptive Leadership – listen to feedback (vision +
plan + ongoing iteration)
• Place many bets – open innovation ecosystems;
microbusiness experimentation
• Reimagine leadership – embrace agile (fast, cross-
functional, experimental, self-directed and
empowered)
• Build a talent pipeline – people are critical; build
digital capabilities
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What does digital transformation
look like?
• Established 1932; by 1992 suffered steady decline
until 2004 – close to bankruptcy
• Reinvented itself by restructuring and a digital
transformation programme, including an open
platform that allows experimentation with micro
businesses
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• New revenue sources: movies,
mobile games, digital applications,
crowdsourcing fan inputs (Digital
Designer, web-based design tool)
• In 2014 LEGO revenues = 3.8
billion Euros
• Key to success? Going back to its
core DNA, the connection with the
LEGO brick, & finding new ways
to allow consumers and fans to
engage with it using new tech

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Bridging the universe
• Structured collaboration
• Early engagement
• Active listening
• Informed decision making
• Identify win-wins
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What does the CIO say?
“Collaborating & innovation sharing didn’t used
to happen because everything was based
around site specific operations.
Technology has enabled that.
We now have communities of practice. We are
now connecting and collaborating across the
globe.”
Greulich-Smith T, Strategic Alignment of
Business and IT, 2015, NUS-ISS
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In summary
• Digital Transformation is about PEOPLE & new
models of engagement
• Most CIOs see digital transformation as their
responsibility – but the business does not
• There’s already a disconnect between IT & the
business – digital widens the chasm
• Whether digital transformation is driven by the IT
department or not, it is vital that IT and the rest
of the business engage and collaborate if digital
transformation is to be realised
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THANK YOU
tamsin@nus.edu.sg
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