I ran across an interesting slide show on CIO Insight about the things Business hates most about IT — and vice versa. The list comes from Susan Cramm’s forthcoming book, 8 Things We Hate About IT. Some of the more snarky excerpts include:
- Line leaders hate when IT consists of condescending techies who don’t listen.
- IT leaders hate when the business treats IT professionals like untrustworthy servant-genies.
The discussion of IT versus Business Management has been a hot one for a long time and reminds me of this anecdote I came across a while ago. Its author is unknown:
A man is flying in a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts, “Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?”
The man below says, “Yes, you’re in a hot air balloon, hovering 30 feet above this field.”
“You must work in Information Technology,” says the balloonist.
“I do,” replies the man. “How did you know?”
“Well,” says the balloonist, “Everything you have told me is technically correct, but it’s of no use to anyone.”
The man below says, “You must work in business management.”
“I do,” replies the balloonist, “But how did you know?”
“Well,” says the man, “You don’t know where you are, or where you’re going, but you expect me to be able to help. You’re in the same position you were before we met, but now it’s my fault.”
Your thoughts on the issue?