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January
2007:
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Article:
Why women don't get to the top. |
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June
2006:
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Accenture Study - The Anatomy of the Glass
Ceiling |
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WOMEN
TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN
ITC AND BUSINESS?
Failed
Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
projects are common and ICT solutions often
do not meet the expectations of business clients.
Business and IT experts often have a negative
perception of each other, resulting in interpersonal
relationship problems in the business-ICT interface.
To create customer value and a competitive advantage
in today’s technological environment,
the gap between business experts (who know what
must be done) and technology experts (who know
how to do it) must be filled.
Research
was recently done through an online survey to
determine the perceptions of 127 female ICT
leaders in South Africa about bridging the business-ICT
gap through effective ICT leadership, service
delivery and relationship building (referred
to as business-ICT fusion). The women regarded
the following reasons for non-fusion as significant
(in descending order):
| 1.
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Ineffective
communication skills (e.g. no clear communication
processes between business and ICT) |
| 2.
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Lack
of knowledge transfer between ICT and the
business (they don't understand each other's
worlds) |
| 3. |
Inappropriate
skills, attributes and attitudes of IT personnel
(technical-, business- and especially soft
skills) |
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| 4. |
Business
managers do not take enough responsibility
for the business-ICT relationship |
The
research emphasised that many of the issues in
the business-ICT interface are related to people
and their behaviour, as ICT is not about technology
anymore – it is about providing an effective
service by solving the real business need and
maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships.
This demands skills such as intuition, empathy,
the ability to work with ambiguity and uncertainty,
where asking the right questions is more important
than having all the answers.
In the modern organisation both business and technology
leaders need to be learners, listeners, adapters,
storytellers and nurturers[1]. Women are known
to have such special attributes and characteristics
and the question should be asked: “Are female
ICT leaders well-suited to bridge the gap between
ICT and business, and yet they are underrepresented
in these positions?” I sincerely believe
that it will be the women of South Africa who
will thrive in leadership positions in future
and restore some of the much needed balance that
has been missing in the business-IT interface.
[1]
Coats, K. What women want – The future of
leadership.
Fortune Magazine, October 2003.
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March
2006:
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RED article on Sex Discrimination
Act |
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More |
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