The Value Imperative
Description
As a result, the IT department in many organizations has remained a breed apart. Communication between IT and the rest of the organization is fraught with misunderstanding. This leads to failures, recrimination, and, sometimes, wholesalechanges which fall well short of their goals. The authors wrote this book because they wanted to help both business and IT to shift their focus from technology project implementation to that of value realization.
In The Value Imperative readers will be introduced to a new business model called The Agricultural Model created by the authors for managing IT in organizations. This innovative model will help you learn how to change the mindset of people in your organization about how IT should be invested in and managed; key considerations for ensuring that business value is delivered from IT investments; how to measure that value that has been delivered and whether there has been effective return on the investments made; and finally the authors challenge business and IT managers to focus on the business value that customers seek which will help companies.
Reviews / Votes
" The Value Imperative introduces a thought-provoking metaphor - that of agriculture! They illustrate how organizations benefit by using an agricultural model to realize business value from IT investments. A focus on the harvest, or expected outcomes, leads to effective governance, change management, and decision-making. Readers will likely find the book easy to read but at the same time provocative. For sure, the Grant and Collins' agricultural perspective on the management of IT will make them think!" (Yolande E. Chan, PhD, E. Marie Shantz Professor of Information Technology Management, Stephen J.R. Smith School of Business, Queen's University)
"This book provides a fresh and much needed take on how digital information technologies can create incredible business value for organizations. The agricultural model, value realization cycle, and rich examples from practice raise managerial understanding of what it takes to be successful in the modern digital age." (Nigel P. Melville, Associate Professor of Information Systems, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan)
"Grant and Collins have crafted a fascinating book that clearly demonstrates how today's business and IT leadership should value, grow, and govern technology investments. An interesting and thought-provoking read, with appeal for both business and IT leaders!" (Jane Fedorowicz, PhD, Chester B. Slade Professor of Accounting and Information Systems, Bentley University)
"Grant and Collins use the farm analogy to describe the IT environment helping leaders to think of the IT environment as a very expensive harvest, which needs to be cultivate and nurtured in order to produce and maintain a productive crop. As with farming, there are many uncertainties, changes, and new technologies that constantly impact our environment. So, it is helpful to realize that continuous attention, investment, and modifications are required in this land of IT." (Dan Ahern, CFO and Head of IT Dept, voestalpine Roll Forming Corp)
"The beauty of simple, clever ideas is not just that they are easy to appreciate but also that they bring clarity to problems that otherwise seem mired in complexity. IT initiatives are very different from an engineering enterprise. The agricultural model devised by Grant & Collins is straightforward, tangible, actionable, and requires no leap of faith. This is an excellent distillation of the best of top managerial plus leading research experiences." (Jonathan Liebenau, Professor of Technology Management, London School of Economics)
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Persons
Robert Collins is an experienced technology executive with more than thirty years' experience in both the private and public sector. He has held positions as a product business line executive as well as Chief Information Officer. During his career, he has had the opportunity to work with organizations all over the world. He is now a Consulting Executive who works with large organizations to maximize the value they get from information technology. As well, Robert mentors high-tech startups and provides professional development training.