Emerging Technologies
It is hard to argue with the necessity to keep track of emerging technologies for every single company that wants to stay competitive. It is one of the primary tasks of an IT department, and it requires significant efforts. The biggest issue that is often discussed is that it is hard to determine the number of resources that should be focused on it. However, it needs to be said that no ratio is the correct one in most cases, and it should change depending on the situation. For example, if a promising new technology is discovered, it is imperative to devote an enormous amount of time and effort to research. On the other hand, sometimes other significant issues are present and should be focused on because they may lead to severe complications.
The Blog Issue
Blog Entry
Nothing should be done about the blog entry that was written by an employee because this individual did not reveal any secret information about the operations of the company. The issue is that this aspect was not listed in the policies of the enterprise. It should be understood that it is necessary to inform workers about possible complications that may be associated with blogging and it should be specified which information is not allowed to be reported on the Internet. In this case, it is important to address this issue as a whole, and one individual should not be used as an example for others.
General Policy About Blogging
The general policy about blogging should be extremely strict because the image of the enterprise is of utmost importance. It should be explicitly stated that any confidential information about the company should not be disclosed under most circumstances. It is especially important to make sure that employees understand that it is necessary to add a disclaimer to blog entries. It should state that it is an opinion of an individual and does not represent the views of the company. The enterprise may also specify some other topics that should not be discussed because of privacy issues. Overall, there is no doubt that it is impossible to control all the blog entries, but employees should have an understanding of the complications that are related to this problem.
A Process for Spotting Emerging Technologies
A group of individuals should be focused on spotting emerging technologies with some tools that are currently available. It is paramount to understand that prompt implementation of new technologies is an efficient way to get ahead of competitors, and it is necessary to create an environment in the company that would support changes. It is paramount to note that significant risks that are associated with emerging technologies are present most of the time. Furthermore, it is necessary to make sure that the expenses on implementation are reasonable. Analysis can be used as an efficient way to determine the potential of certain emerging technologies, and the ones that have the potential should be focused on most of the time.
Proposed Processes
Voluntary Compliance
The first proposal implies that some business units may comply with the standards if they view it as necessary. However, the most significant issue is that the policy most likely would not provide any results because most are not ready to deal with dramatic changes, and it is especially true when it is not explicitly required. It needs to be said that voluntary compliance may be applied to other aspects such as corporate responsibility, but it should not be viewed as an option when technologies are discussed. The primary problem is that there are no rewards, and this process is considered extremely complicated by most.
Strict Enforcement
The second proposal implies that the IT department should be able to choose the processes that should be enforced. It is paramount to understand that such an approach would not work in most cases because some units need a significant amount of time to get used to such dramatic changes, and it may be necessary to conduct pieces of training. The central problem is that the dissimilarity between the ways technologies function is dramatic in most cases. However, sometimes it is necessary to take the risks, as has been proven by numerous companies that became incredibly successful after incorporating such an approach. The main problem is that sometimes it is hard to justify such decisions, and most businesses are used to more traditional methods.
Gradual Migration
The last proposal is the most efficient because it takes into account the fact that some units need time to get accustomed to upcoming changes. The fact that technology platforms are classified into three groups is especially important because it allows the company to avoid possible risks that are associated with the implementation of such systems. It needs to be said that this is the best possible option for this company because it is incredibly flexible.
This approach is not as radical as the second one, and development opportunities are limited but stability is of utmost importance in this situation because the management team is relatively young. Overall, it needs to be understood that standardization is necessary because it is incredibly hard to deal with different formats and infrastructure needs to be simplified (Austin, Nolan, & O’Donnell, 2009).
IT Standardization and Innovation
It needs to be said that a conflict between IT standardization and innovation is present in this enterprise. The biggest issue is that most individuals think that limited selection is a huge drawback and may significantly reduce development opportunities. However, it needs to be said that standardization may lead to innovation in some cases. One of the primary reasons that should be discussed is that the speed at which operations are performed is dramatically increased in most situations. Expenses are also reduced most of the time, and the funds that were accumulated may be used to develop new innovative technologies.
Toolkit Approach
Models
Every professional must understand the importance of management models. It is important to note that their effectiveness varies in most cases, and it is necessary to apply them in certain situations. The experience in the industry is necessary most of the time because some of the decisions that are made are incredibly complicated. Numerous companies are focused on the development of such models, and every firm needs to have access to current approaches because they may be used to improve some of the processes in the organization. It needs to be understood that some tasks cannot be performed efficiently if the manager does not have the necessary knowledge to apply different models. Overall, it is extremely necessary to keep track of the latest trends in the industry if one wants to stay competitive.
Tools
Every manager needs to have an excellent knowledge of instruments that are necessary for a particular business. Some of them have been established for a long time, and some were introduced over the last few years. For example, a set of frameworks that were developed based on the available information may be incredibly useful because it allows managers to review possible options and choose the most reasonable in a particular case. Similarly, other ones may also be used to enable changes in the organization.
It is imperative to note that it becomes a significant issue when the manager is used to one tool and is not ready to accept new ones that are much more efficient and innovative. Resistance to changes is a significant problem in most enterprises that needs to be addressed. Overall, it is essential to take into account various factors, and one should be able to make necessary decisions according to the situation.
Approaches
It is also paramount for each manager to understand that every situation should be approached differently depending on numerous internal and external factors. It needs to be said that supervisors have to deal with various tasks that require critical thinking and analysis, and one should be able to identify the option that is better suited for a particular case. A vast range of techniques that are used in the workplace is one of the characteristics of an excellent manager. One of the main issues that are related to approaches is that most of them have significant limitations, and an ability to combine them to achieve the best possible result is of utmost importance.
Reference
Austin, R., Nolan, R., & O’Donnell, S. (2009). The adventures of an IT leader. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.