On 12/24/2011 11:19 AM, Edward Ned Harvey wrote: >> From: discuss-bounces+blu=nedharvey....@blu.org [mailto:discuss- >> bounces+blu=nedharvey....@blu.org] On Behalf Of Edward Ned Harvey >> >> With only a moment's thought, and only a few words, how do you describe >> the >> value that your role adds to the organization? How do you justify your > own >> existence, casually, when talking to a CFO or somebody in a social >> situation? > There is a level of support (IT and otherwise) that is necessary just to > keep the doors open for business. Many businesses cut their support down to > this level, thinking of us as "overhead." But beyond that point - IT is a > force multiplier, we provide competitive advantage (neutralizing > competitors' advantage, or gaining our own competitive advantage). Both in > terms of our organization's ability to produce more and meet more targets, > and in terms of our ability to attract & retain talented workforce. > > When you think about it, most of the "coolness" factors of an organization > are support related, IT and otherwise. Coolness factors represent a real, > but often intangible or unmeasurable, advantage to attracting & retaining > talent. It's company image, it's marketing for your brand. > > So. We are justified for two reasons: (a) Keep the lights on, and (b) > Competitive Advantage. >
Whether IT, customer service, administrative support, all of these overhead areas are costs. An organization must look at these and assign a value, and that is the hard part. Taking IT out of it for a moment. Let's take a business that maintains a full time receptionist to handle the general phone calls and the clients that walk in the door. They could replace the receptionist with a sign and a phone/intercom. Or, what is the cost of the high priced employees writing their own documents in contrast to an admin assistant. My son-in-law was the only IT guy at his company, and he hated the company. He finally got a good IT job in Buffalo and when he gave notice they didn't even believe him. A lot of time a company does not realize what they have until they don't. -- Jerry Feldman <g...@blu.org> Boston Linux and Unix PGP key id:3BC1EB90 PGP Key fingerprint: 49E2 C52A FC5A A31F 8D66 C0AF 7CEA 30FC 3BC1 EB90
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