Successful IT strategy

What to do. "Accept the new role, take on changed tasks and become the driving force behind the 'social business' trend," says Tobias Andersson, Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Europe's leading provider of social collaboration tools, the Swedish company Projectplace, and calls for a rethink among IT managers.

Andersson describes in his checklist how the current challenges can be successfully used by IT:

1. stop playing the IT policeman

The younger generation demands openness and transparency, which is often borderline in terms of security requirements. Therefore, you have to redefine your role and see yourself as a supporter of your employees - be open to new value creation systems and services. For example, you can create transparency by introducing a collaboration platform that meets both the requirements of colleagues in terms of modern communication and project work and the company's need for maximum data security.

2. benefit from the "consumerisation of IT

The BYOD trend ("Bring Your Own Device") is an indication that users are demanding a different level of user-friendliness and service. It is also clear that this "consumerization of IT" is a megatrend that increases the complexity of IT tasks. But here, too, both sides can be satisfied by taking new paths, for example by introducing cloud solutions that help to get to grips with the various and ever-changing devices and platforms.

3. support each individual

Our basic need is to help each other, to share knowledge and to be recognized by those around us. This should also be taken into account when setting up a workplace: A 2012 Gallup study showed that companies with motivated employees are 26 percent more profitable and grow as much as 85 percent faster. So do everything you can on the part of IT, too, to ensure that you have happy users.

4. create a flexible working environment

In times of change, the scalability and flexibility of IT are more in demand than ever. From a company's point of view, this can only mean expanding the use of cloud solutions. On the one hand, they offer flexibility; costs only arise when the solution is actually used, and on the other hand, they offer the greatest possible agility and functionality.

5. let someone else do the grunt work

Outsourcing and cloud solutions are a valuable support when you want to free yourself from daily routine work in order to have more time for strategic, more valuable tasks. The key to success is to outsource tasks such as IT operations, support or security, as well as as as many other infrastructural things as possible.

6. welcome the Facebook generation with open arms

Simplicity, transparency, user-friendliness, feedback functions and the feeling of "belonging" are the success factors of social media. Adopt these features, integrate them into your business applications. You will see: Engagement and efficiency will increase and you'll succeed in getting everyone pulling in the same direction and working towards a common goal. A very simple consequence of this, if you introduce playful elements, fun and competitive aspects.

7. create free space for mobility

Collaboration between teams in different locations not only increases the need for mobility, but also demands flexible collaboration paths and easy access to information. Address these mobile demands by setting up an infrastructure that guarantees easy access - no matter from which online platform or device.

8. enable collaboration - internally ...

Today, it is teamwork that drives business in companies. The basis for this should be a social communication platform that supports each individual, motivates, is easily accessible and on which information can be exchanged. Because one thing is certain, namely that the nature of collaboration is changing - from cross-departmental to company-wide to organization-independent cooperation with external parties.

9. ... and external

The external system of partners, suppliers, customers and stakeholders is also increasingly calling for new ways of working together: namely, social business and organizations that are open to a transparent corporate culture, i.e. promote collaborative and mobile working techniques. Research, for example by McKinsey in 2012, has shown how helpful social business can be: Companies were able to increase their momentum by 30 percent when employees had better access to information, 20 percent of employees were more satisfied with their work, the "time-to-market" time was reduced by 20 percent, and the potential for improvement and innovation was increased by 20 percent.

10. accept your new role

More than anything else, it's all about opening up, firstly in terms of your own attitude and secondly in terms of your company organisation. If you want your social business activities to be serious and successful, this must also be reflected in the corporate strategy: Therefore, establish a social business concept that opens up your company and create the necessary technical conditions for this.