Week 2 Posts
By Day 7
Review a selection of your colleagues’ posts from earlier in the week, focusing on the best practices and key activities that are necessary for successfully managing business information systems. By Day 7, respond to two or more of your colleagues in one or more of the following ways:
- Explain the similarities and/or differences between your own findings and those identified by your colleague. Why do you think your analysis of the case was similar to or different from your colleague’s?
- Share what you believe could potentially impede or enable an organization when aligning its IT and business strategy.
- Offer additional best practices or tools organizations could use in aligning IT strategy and business strategy. Explain why those are important and effective. What specific steps does an organization need to take to make sure it continuously monitors how well these strategies align?
Please be specific, and use citations and references as appropriate and necessary.
2 days ago
Jennifer DeWitt
RE: Discussion 2 – Week 2
COLLAPSE
I think Cheryl Smith, Chief Information Officer (CIO), can help WestJet better understand the role of information technology in corporate strategy by explaining that information technology should support business strategy and vice versa. The strategic importance of the suggested changes needs to be effectively demonstrated to both group for buy in (Munro & Khan, 2013). Cheryl needs to be ready to answer crucial questions related to her suggested changes and how they are going to work for the organization. Information technology is an integral part to operational support, corporate strategy, and future growth (Munro & Khan, 2013). Having planning processes, business plans, teams establish, and encourage development of innovative teams.
Information technology promotes innovation in organizations, this innovation is a result of improved data storage, faster processing, smarter apps, and a wider information distribution. This will help with financial planning, marketing, improved hardware, research, production, design, technical issues, records, amongst other things to help develop those goals and initiatives for the organization. In any organization you want to be able to grow, have stability, and retrenchment. If you do not have information technology in place, that is up to date currently, and being innovative, your organization is not going to go far. You want to be able to compete against other organizations and go above and beyond.
You want to be able to draw the customers to you and stand out from the competitors. There is no question that WestJet has the highly sophisticated generalists that are competent in their positions it is just gaining their trust to make a change. The managers need to know that the suggested changes will involve them to develop the skill to help identify problems, opportunities, and work as a team with the IT department (Munro & Khan, 2013). There needs to be more structure with resources assigned to business units, so managers can have a better understanding of information technology and set prioritizations. This will help build that connection with corporate strategy and information technology. The key to thrive in hard times is to apply lessons learned, focus on transparency, motivation, innovation, and governance (High, 2011). Start with doing a pilot with re-aligning IT, improving system functionality for guest services and satisfaction would help build trust and give WestJet employees a visual of the changes.
From this experience and looking at my organization compared to WestJet I can say I do not know that much about information technology in the organization. I do know what my department needs. We are told to leave IT issues with them because that is what they do. I am learning that I need to understand the systems better, so I can create better strategic goals. The best tools and techniques for an organization to use to align IT and business strategy would be to keep track of the changing world, both internally and externally. If you use Walden Library for example knowing the different programs, databases for research, aligning to the mission, vision, and resources of Walden University IT and business strategy. Identifying those needed support areas, what works well and what needs to be adjusted, identify for the best competitive approach. Include the adjustments and come up with a strategic plan for both IT and business strategies, creating a roadmap to align the strategic thinking, goals, and objectives.
Risks associated if the organization does not invest in the resources needed to maintain alignment between the IT and business strategy would be it will hinder growth of the organization, employee performance, the organization will not be able to thrive or survive.
References
Andriole, S. J. (2012). Managing technology in a 2.0 world. IT Professional Magazine, 14(1), 50-57.
High, P. (2011). Proceed with caution: The new normal: Now what? CIO Insight, 115, 30-33
Munro, M., & Khan, S. (2013). WestJet Airlines: Information technology governance and corporate strategy (Ivey Publishing Case Study No. 9B13E020).
Roman Moore
RE: Discussion 2 – Week 2
COLLAPSE
With new comers coming into a major company that encourage new ideas on changing for the better I know that it can be some difficult roads that leads to success. One of them is effective communication between tenure employees and new employees. Reading the article Cheryl Smith as a contractor presenting some wonderful ideas to make the company grow, however with the same mindset of employees who was already working there was quite so sure of it. With her experience working at a consulting firm Analinc Corp, and Ernst & Young her resume shown that she can change the business dynamics within the company.
“In her first month, Smith focused on benchmarking IT by bringing in two IT benchmarking and performance experts to perform a comparative study with similar-sized companies in the transportation industry†( Munro & Khan, 2013). To me itâ€
s all about budgeting and also making sure production goes up. Ways to improve information technology is also understand what the passengerâ€s desires. “When passengers can move from the curb to the gate using a single biometric travel token such as a face, fingerprint or iris scan. “Biometric technology has the power to transform the passenger experience. Airlines are strongly behind the One ID initiative. (Taylor, 2019). This another possible way to influence managers to get on board. WestJetâ€s experience can influence the way my company aligns of business is by having more overhead locally. With the company I work for most of IT reps are virtually so there is no one more manageable when there is an issue that has to be resolved on site, you will have to put a ticket in for support and then wait on a response. This can lose a lot business when things needs to be done quickly.
Just depends on the type of work you do many companies can provide strategies to implement more ways they can improve on I.T strategy. One is to implement globalization especially when you have multi companies across the nation and globally. Focus more assets and management. “Second, the opportunities and challenges that globalization affords are forcing companies to revisit many assumptions about the control and management of both their physical and their intangible assets. Todayâ€s computer company, for example, can manufacture components in China, assemble them in Mexico, ship them to Europe, and service the purchasers from call centers in India†(Kaplan & Norton, 2006). With no challenges or proper management consumers could lose tons of revenue within business such as stakeholders. I.T is definitely important to train the right experts and manage properly.
References:
Kaplan, R., & Norton, D., (March, 2006). How to Implement a New Strategy Without Disrupting Your Organization. Retrieved from: How to Implement a New Strategy Without Disrupting Your Organization. https://hbr.org/2006/03/how-to-implement-a-new-strategy-without-disrupting-your-organization
Munro, M., & Khan, S. (2013). WestJet Airlines: Information technology governance and corporate strategy (Ivey Publishing Case Study No. 9b13E020).
Taylor, M. (Oct, 2019). Strategic Use of Technology Can Improve Airline Passenger Experience. Retrieved from: https://www.travelpulse.com/news/airlines/strategic-use-of-technology-can-improve-airline-passenger-experience.html
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