Paul Carroll, Editor-in-Chief of ITL
An essay published last week by a principal research scientist at the MIT Sloan School of Management says it’s time to do away with the IT department, a stalwart of corporate organizations since the dawn of the Computer Age in the 1950s.
He’s not arguing for the demise of the work, of course. IT remains at the heart of much of the innovation that companies must pursue to stand out from competitors in the market. But he says it’s time to integrate the functions of IT with front-line operations so a combination of business people and programmers can innovate in ways that matter most to those who matter most: the customers.
The essay makes a compelling case, while offering insights from pioneering companies that have done away with the IT department.
Joe Peppard’s essay in the Wall Street Journal argues that “having an IT department is exactly what will prevent companies from being innovative, agile, customer-focused and digitally transformed.”
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