What is your “engagement model” with your internal business partners? Take a look at the graphic below. Where do you fall on this spectrum? Does it vary by the business unit you partner with, or even project/initiative?
I have found that there is tremendous variation in engagement models across companies, both large and small. If the engagement model is even discussed within your organization, you may find that it is viewed as a win/lose equation, rather than as a real partnership between you and your business units.
IT Influence drivers include:
- Your record of success may enable you to drive the IT/business partnership within your organization.
- You may see yourself as owning many decisions that affect your business partners, and are busy implementing them as you see fit, perhaps leaving your partners in “catch up” mode for your decisions/investments made.
- Your business partners may not be able to articulate their needs/requirements at a level that enables real partnership and solution definition, leaving you to pick up the slack.