The IT Advantage CRiti cal reading f r o m H a rva rd B u s i n e ss Pre ss
Information technology has gone from the back office to the front lines, becoming one of the most critical drivers of business success. Whether you’re an IT specialist or a corporate officer, you’ll find that Harvard Business Press books and authors will change the way you think, redefine how you work, and help you succeed and prosper in the years ahead.
george westerman & richard hunter
Turn business threats into competitive advantage page 3
thomas H. davenport & jeanne G. harris
Want to out think your rivals? page 6
James Popkin & partha iyengar
Prepare to compete with the new wave of innovators page 13
charlene li & josh bernoff
You say you want a revolution page 16
The IT Advantage from harvard business press
George Richard Westerman Hunter We wrote this book to change the conversation about information technology. IT risk management is not just about managing data security and IT infrastructure. It’s about managing different perspectives on what’s important—for the enterprise, not just IT. IT Risk is for business executives who know they need a stronger role in overseeing IT, but don’t know what questions to ask. It’s also for IT and security executives who know they need better risk-related conversations with their business peers, but don’t know where to start. In this book, we provide a straightforward approach to improving IT capabilities by managing the risks that matter and opening new opportunities.
| Harvard Business Press
Don’t Leave Your IT Strategy to Chance from IT RISK
Does your organization have a well-designed risk governance process? As IT becomes increasingly central to business success, IT risk incidents carry a greater price tag than they used to. In this timely and authoritative book, based on research conducted by MIT’s Center for Information Systems Research and Gartner, Westerman and Hunter define the various types of IT risk and introduce three disciplines that you must master to manage IT risk effectively.
George Westerman is Research Scientist in the Center for Information Systems Research at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Richard Hunter is Group Vice President and Gartner Fellow in Gartner Executive Programs. IT Risk Turning Business Threats into Competitive Advantage George Westerman and Richard Hunter
Because IT risk is now business risk, with business consequences, enterprises must change the way they manage IT risk. Businesses can no longer afford to assume that IT risks will be contained within the walls of the IT department, or even of the enterprise. They must replace technology-driven approaches and fragmented views of IT risk with an integrated view that starts with an understanding of the business risks and consequences that flow from IT decisions. Then they must take action.
The IT Advantage
|
Convert Your Strategy Into Action from EXECUTING YOUR STRATEGY
Ninety percent of companies consistently fail to execute strategies effectively. Why? Because most senior executives do not know how to convert strategy into action.
But your strategies don’t have to suffer the same fate if you learn how to carefully coordinate strategic projects managed by many people across your organization. Executing Your Strategy will give you the tools and tactics to execute your strategy on time and on budget. Mark Morgan is CLO at IPSolutions Inc. and Practice Director of the Stanford Advanced Project Management Program (SAPM). Raymond E. Levitt is a professor in Stanford’s School of Engineering and Academic Director of SAPM. William A. Malek is an independent consultant, educator, and trainer. Executing Your Strategy How to Break It Down and Get It Done Mark Morgan, Raymond E. Levitt, and William A. Malek
When strategy makers and project leaders truly work together to convert strategy into action, they create organizations that outperform others and are attractive places for people to invest their productive energy. In these great companies, we suggest that the role of CEO would be better described as chief execution officer. After all, executive and execution only differ by two letters—and leaders can excel only if they master strategic execution.
expand your skill set Being successful is more than just about being an IT expert. You’ve got to master essential business skills, too. These books have the tools you’re looking for. This specially priced collection gives you mastery of the financial basics you’ll need to plan, budget, forecast, and control resources with confidence. Includes three books and a CD ROM. VALUE SET
The Financial Intelligence Collection Available only at www.harvardbusiness.org/press
“A must-read for senior executives as well as project managers.” —Roy S. Nicolosi, Senior Vice President & CTO, Information Systems & Technology Reinventing Project Management The Diamond Approach to Successful Growth and Innovation
Aaron J. Shenhar and Dov Dvir
Second edition, expanded to include fresh insights and practical tools for new and experienced managers. Becoming A Manager How New Managers Master the Challenges of Leadership Linda A. Hill
Advice and tools for improving your communication skills—from giving an effective presentation to drafting proposals to the effective use of e-mail. Harvard Business Essentials Business Communication
The Sourcing Model You need to Win Outsourcing worked. Using external service providers has become truly commonplace—and so successful that many pursue it compulsively, often without careful evaluation or consideration.
In Multisourcing, Gartner experts Linda Cohen and Allie Young unveil a new operational model—multisourcing— that beats yesterday’s “quick fix” sourcing approaches. By blending internally and externally delivered services and continuously evaluating outcomes, you can create a customized plan to meet your company’s unique needs. Linda Cohen is a Managing Vice President at Gartner Research. Allie Young is a Vice President at Gartner Research. Multisourcing Moving Beyond Outsourcing to Achieve Growth and Agility Linda Cohen and Allie Young
The IT Advantage
|
Thomas H. Jeanne G. Davenport Harris For decades IT people have focused on implementing transaction-oriented applications for their organizations, putting off efforts to do something with the data until a later time. That time is now. Business intelligence has become the largest IT spending category for CIOs over the past two years, and that field is moving beyond simple reporting to analytics involving prediction and optimization. Our research for this book focused not on garden-variety BI users, but on the gung-ho, hard-core aggressive users. We describe companies that “compete on analytics,� making it their primary strategic focus. But companies with less ambitious objectives can still learn from analytical competitors; in a few years, the best analytical practice is likely to become common practice.
| Harvard Business Press
Make the Most Out of the Data You’ve Got from COMPETING ON ANALYTICS
How do you separate your company’s performance from the pack? By using analytics intelligently, you can turn your data into smarter strategies for your company.
In Competing on Analytics, Davenport and Harris show you how some of the most innovative organizations are using new tools to trump rivals. And you can too. Through analytics, your organization can identify the most profitable customers, accelerate product innovation, and leverage the true drivers of financial performance. Thomas H. Davenport is the President’s Distinguished Professor of Information Technology and Management at Babson College. Jeanne G. Harris is Executive Research Fellow and Director of Research for the Accenture Institute for High Performance Business. Competing on Analytics The New Science of Winning
Analytical competitors will continue to find ways to outperform their competitors. They’ll get the best customers and charge them exactly the price that the customer is willing to pay... They’ll have the most efficient and effective marketing campaigns and promotions... They will make a lot of money, win a lot of games, or help solve the world’s most pressing problems. They will continue to lead us into the future.
Thomas H. Davenport and Jeanne G. Harris
The IT Advantage
|
Forging a Path for Today’s CIOs from THE NEW CIO LEADER
Today’s CIOs are at a crossroads: you can either step back and accept a marginal role as “chief technology mechanic,” or you can leverage your expertise to step up to a new level of enterprise leadership.
This book outlines the path you must take to become a leader in your organization. Drawing from research conducted by Gartner, Inc., Broadbent and Kitzis explain ten specific priorities for mastering the new CIO leadership role—from creating a vision for how technology can improve the business to building a leaner, more focused IT organization. Marianne Broadbent is a Gartner Fellow at Gartner, Inc., and Associate Dean at Melbourne Business School. Ellen Kitzis is Group Vice President of Gartner’s Executive Programs. The New CIO Leader Setting the Agenda and Delivering Results Marianne Broadbent and Ellen Kitzis
| Harvard Business Press
This book is the culmination of years of research and indepth interaction we’ve had with CIOs and their executive colleagues. It explains why CIOs are at a crossroads, what a new CIO leader is, and what it takes to be one. Our goal, our passion, is to help CIOs in these most “interesting times” as they look down these two paths. We firmly believe that those who embrace the challenge of these changes can become new CIO leaders and join their executive colleagues as irreplaceable parts of their enterprise’s success. CIOs who want to take this challenge, who want to succeed, must understand exactly what is different now, how their role is changing, and the new skills, priorities, and actions they need to take to rise to the next level, to be new CIO leaders. That, in brief, is why this book exists.
STRENGTHEN YOUR LEADERSHIP Improving your people skills makes it easier to get your initiatives done well and on time. “An easy read that makes good sense.” —Management Magazine Five Minds for the Future Howard Gardner
Be a Better Leader “Meant for, and should be useful to, anyone about to make a change.” —Economist.com
The First 90 Days Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels Michael Watkins
“Offers heaps of food for thought on how to create innovation and change.” —Training + Development X-Teams How to Build Teams That Lead, Innovate, and Succeed Deborah Ancona and Henrik Bresman
“Should be read from start to finish. Kotter has outlined a clear and dynamic plan for leading change.” —Training + Development Leading Change John P. Kotter
Great leaders move you and inspire success. If a leader projects enthusiasm, an organization thrives. Of course, if a leader spreads negativity, the organization flounders.
But what separates great leaders from the rest? Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee have the answer. Drawing from decades of analysis, the authors explore the role of emotional intelligence in leadership, and show you how important this trait is to your success as a leader. By connecting with others, you can have a positive impact on your team and the bottom line. Daniel Goleman is Codirector of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations at Rutgers University. Richard Boyatzis is a professor at the Weatherhead School of Management. Annie McKee is Cochair of the Teleos Leadership Institute. Primal Leadership Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Anne McKee The IT Advantage
|
Peter Jeanne W. Weill Ross For more than twenty years we watched and worked with large organizations struggling to consistently get business value from IT. This struggle motivated us to study how the top performing firms managed to do better. A major difference was governance—decision rights and accountability. For most firms IT governance is a journey, not a destination. New business pressures— increased globalization, more business agility, talent shortages, acquisitions —challenge the firm’s governance. Effective IT governance is part of the firm’s DNA, allowing them to respond to these pressures and becoming a source of competitive advantage rather than bureaucracy. We wanted to understand this journey, find out what works, and help senior managers lead the charge.
10 | Harvard Business Press
Set Your Projects Up for Success from IT GOVERNANCE
Seventy percent of all IT projects fail, costing companies time and money. But your projects don’t have to suffer the same fate— if you learn how to better manage and guide IT decisions.
This book shows you how to design and implement a system of decision rights and provides you the tools for customizing an IT governance system for your organization’s needs. Plus, you’ll get a set of proven templates for allocating decision rights and a range of proven mechanisms for implementing IT governance. Peter Weill is the Director of the Center for Information Systems Research (CISR) and a Senior Research Scientist at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. Jeanne W. Ross is Principal Research Scientist at CISR. IT Governance How Top Performers Manage IT Decision Rights for Superior Results
For many years, some organizations could succeed despite weak IT management practices. But information—and consequently IT— is an increasingly important element of organizational products and services ... Getting more value from IT is an increasingly important organizational competency. Leaders throughout an enterprise must develop this competency.
Peter Weill and Jeanne W. Ross
The IT Advantage
|
11
INVEST IN INNOVATION Whether you want to change your company’s strategies or improve existing processes, you must make innovation a central part of your plans. With these books, you’ll know how to get the job done. “Open Innovation never falters, mixing examples and theory well.” —Globe and Mail
Making Innovation a Core Competency If you’re like most business leaders, innovation now tops your agenda. But how do you make innovation happen?
In Innovation to the Core, Strategos CEO Peter Skarzynski and business strategist Rowan Gibson answer this question. Drawing on a wealth of stories and examples, the book shows you how to overcome the barriers to successful, profitable innovation. Multiple hands-on tools—frameworks, checklists, probing questions—help you put the book’s ideas into action. Innovation to the Core is the fieldbook you need for making innovation a core competency. Peter Skarzynski is CEO and founding Director of Strategos, a consulting firm he cofounded with Gary Hamel. Rowan Gibson is a global business strategist and editor of the international bestseller Rethinking the Future: Rethinking Business. Innovation to the Core A Blueprint for Transforming the Way Your Company Innovates Peter Skarzynski and Rowan Gibson 12 | Harvard Business Press
Open Innovation The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology Henry Chesbrough
“A promising blueprint for innovation.” —Toronto Globe and Mail Innovator’s Solution Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth Clayton M. Christensen and Michael E. Raynor
“...a helpful ‘how-to’ for companies looking to refine their innovation process.” —Forbes.com Payback Reaping the Rewards of Innovation James P. Andrew and Harold L. Sirkin
“Top Recommended Reading” Pick — Wall Street Journal Ten Rules for Strategic Innovators From Idea to Execution Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble
Explore A New Frontier from IT AND THE EAST
high-tech firms are increasingly sourcing their products’ assembly from China and India. Meanwhile, indigenous Chinese and Indian companies are creating intellectual property and innovations that will directly challenge those same Western companies.
This book is written specifically to help CIOs and other IT decision makers of global enterprises and leaders of companies in the global IT industry to examine in a disciplined way how best to pursue their future in China and India. Whether customers or creators of IT products and services, these enterprises are building a global IT industry
IT and the East is the first book to articulate the IT challenges that China and India pose for Western firms. In this book, you’ll explore the long-term impact of high-tech outsourcing and learn how to compete in Asian markets while protecting key intellectual property.
in which the economies and talents of China and India loom over large.
James M. Popkin is a Group Vice President and Research Fellow at Gartner Research. Partha Iyengar is an India-based Research Vice President at Gartner.
If you have not had to do so already, you will very soon be required to choose how to engage with China and India. As GE’s Jeff Immelt says, “The new competitors, China and India, are unlike any competitors we have seen in our lifetime.”
The center of gravity in technology has shifted east. Western
IT and the East How China and India Are Altering the Future of Technology and Innovation James M. Popkin and Partha Iyengar
The IT Advantage
|
13
The End of IT As We Know It? from DOES IT MATTER?
Is information technology critical to competitive advantage and strategic success? In this controversial book, Nicholas G. Carr calls conventional wisdom into question, contending that IT’s strategic importance has actually dissipated as its core functions have become available to all.
Carr draws on convincing historical and contemporary examples to explain why innovations in hardware, software, and networking are rapidly replicated by competitors, neutralizing their power. And he shows why IT’s emergence as a shared and standardized infrastructure may ultimately deliver huge economic and social benefits. Nicholas G. Carr is a former Executive Editor and Editor-atLarge for Harvard Business Review. Does IT Matter? Information Technology and the Corrosion of Competitive Advantage Nicholas G. Carr
14 | Harvard Business Press
It’s important to remember that the introduction of a new infrastructural technology can have complex and often unpredictable consequences... While information technology isn’t changing everything, it is changing many things. Some of the changes are for the better and some for the worse, but all demand close and clear-eyed attention.
upgrade your strategies If you’re an IT professional seeking to play a more central role in your organization, these books will give you fresh insights that will help you develop strategies for success. “An important book for anyone interested in understanding how breakthrough businesses can be built in today’s economy.” —Bill Gates, Chairman, Microsoft Corporation Catalyst Code The Strategies Behind the World’s Most Dynamic Companies David S. Evans and Richard Schmalensee
“Changing how companies set strategy.” —CIO Insight Competing for the Future Gary Hamel and C. K. Prahalad
“Leaves the reader no excuse not to deal with all those foreseeable, predictable, avoidable surprises.” —Financial Times Predictable Surprises The Disasters You Should Have Seen Coming, and How to Prevent Them Max H. Bazerman and Michael Watkins
“This book deserves to be a bestseller.” —Economist Redefining Global Strategy Crossing Borders in a World Where Differences Still Matter Pankaj Ghemawat
Over One Million Copies Sold In this international bestseller, the authors challenge everything you thought you knew about competition. Upending traditional thinking, they argue that tomorrow’s leading companies will succeed not by battling competitors, but by creating “blue oceans.”
Kim and Mauborgne argue that cutthroat competition results in nothing but a bloody red ocean of rivals fighting over a shrinking profit pool. They suggest that lasting success comes from creating blue oceans: untapped new market spaces ripe for growth. W. Chan Kim is The Boston Consulting Group Bruce D. Henderson Chair Professor of Strategy and International Management at INSEAD. Renée Mauborgne is the INSEAD Distinguished Fellow and a professor of strategy and management. Blue Ocean Strategy How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne
The IT Advantage
|
15
Power to the People from Groundswell
It’s called “the Streisand effect.” Barbra Streisand’s objections to seeing photographs of her home on a Web site caused people to post it all over the Net. Attempts to remove content from the Internet just cause it to spread like wildfire.
Your company’s customers are talking about your brand right now on MySpace, probably in ways you haven’t approved. Your customer support representatives’ conversations with users will show up on YouTube, and so will your TV commercials, intercut with sarcastic comments from consumers. This movement can’t be contained. It’s a groundswell. And while you can’t stop it, you can understand it. You can not only live with it, you can thrive in it. That’s the point of this book. Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff are Vice Presidents at Forrester Research. Groundswell Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff
16 | Harvard School Press
Within a few years, a company that doesn’t engage in this sort of activity will look dated. What would you think of a company that had one static graphic and no links on its home page? In 1995 that was typical—now it’s laughable. And in the same way, companies that aren’t wired into the groundswell in 2012 will look very twentieth century. Which is to say, out of touch.
Written by some of the preeminent thinkers in their fields, Harvard Business Press books go beyond the basics to provide you with thoughtful, thorough resources. You’ll come back to these books again and again—whether you’re facing a new networking challenge or grappling with the latest innovation.
get ahead. stay ahead.
the it advantage ISBN 13: 978-4221-2908-1
Product No. 2908