When delivering my final dissertation of the MBA program (here the link of a short presentation), along the research I’ve encountered the topic of IT Change Management.
As a matter of fact, whenever a company decides to implement IT innovations most likely new collaborations or partnerships with IT Vendors, consultants or third parties are needed. Usually, within a selection process, IT suppliers are evaluated accordingly to theirs know how and proven expertise. However, what about other aspects such as the agility to change, the ability to innovate and corporates’ cultures? Is there a potential fit or a misfit between the company and the selected IT vendor?
The company’s DNA
In order to avoid failures, it’s fundamental to set a pace for IT innovations that is affordable to the company according to its DNA. According to R. Ray Wang (@rwang0) there are two kind of attitudes when defining a DNA of a company: proactive vs. reactive and incremental vs transformational attitudes.
Cautious Adopters: proactive & incremental (about 30%). Such companies are looking for new technologies without waiting what other competitors do. However, they are willing to implement only the technologies that might play a key role in the future as well as they are not keen to consider the opportunity to change their business model even if the new technology enable a breakthrough.
Market Leaders: proactive & transformational (about 5%). A market leader has the ability to sustain high paces of IT innovations as well as an organizational flexibility to change also its business model.
Laggards: reactive & incremental (30%). Such a company avoid any kind of risk of a self-disruptive innovation and integrates new technology only when other competitor succeed. In any case, without transforming its business model.
Fast Followers: reactive & transformational (15%). This of kind of DNA is able to mitigate the risk of adopting new technology by relying on the ability to change quickly the business model and the organization as a way to survive against disruptive innovation threats.
(More: “The Building Blocks of Successful Corporate IT“, HBR Blog)
IT Vendor’s DNA
What about the DNA of an IT Vendor? Gartner is well-known for providing a “magic” quadrant for everything and also for evaluating an IT vendor: completeness of vision and ability to change are the two main attitudes to consider.
Leaders: high completeness of vision & high ability to execute. As IT vendors, they are able not only to provide innovative services that works today but also to influence the market that theirs innovations are the best for the future. For these reason, such IT vendors might fit best a company with a leadership that wants to invest in new infrastructures\technology early and avoiding any risk due to technology (obsolescence, maintenance, etc.). However, also a cautious adopter (DNA) company that wants to develop a leader DNA should prefer IT leaders by relying on their ability to execute and play a key role as an influencer within a change management process.
Niche Players: low completeness of vision & low ability to execute. Is the case of IT vendors specialized in few functionalities and with low ability to execute due, for example, to a lack of resources (financial, operating) and power (network). However, such IT vendors might be useful for companies that need small technology changes without stringent delivery deadlines. For these reason IT niche players might be extremely useful for Laggard (DNA) companies.
Visionaries: high completeness of vision & low ability to execute. Is the kind of IT vendor that fit best a Cautious Adopter company’s DNA. Anyhow, a Fast Follower (DNA) company that wants to innovate proactively rather than reactively, might get some useful insights from Visionaries third parties.
Challengers: low completeness of vision & high ability to execute. Is what Fast Follower companies usually need. However, a Cautious Adopter company that wants to improve its change management process should look for Challengers as IT vendors.
(More: “How Gartner Evaluates Vendors and Markets in Magic Quadrants and MarketScopes“, Gartner)
So, which IT Vendor to chose? Thinking about possible threats due to cultural and organizational divergences between the company and th IT vendor DNAs will ensure the implementation of the strategy as well as it will avoid market\operational risks and a waste of resources: why to invest on IT Vendor Leaders? Does the company really need it?
As a moral of this story, selecting the IT Vendors that fit best the company DNA is not so different as chosing relationships and friends in our every day life. Trusted and better relationships are guaranteed only by knowing ourselves as well as the others.
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