Think Differently When Talking to IT Colleagues
Jinfo Blog

By Steve Bynghall

Abstract

FreePint's current Research Focus is the "Strategic Alignment of Information Services and IT". Co-producer Steve Bynghall reflects on recently-published articles and considers whether we really can build better relationships with our colleagues in the IT department.

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One of the most enjoyable aspects of working on projects in larger organisations is having a cross-functional team where you get to work with new people, learn new things and get exposed to a range of different perspectives.

Unfortunately sometimes that can also provide a challenge, particularly where there are misunderstandings, different agendas or opposing priorities.

In our discussions with FreePint Subscribers and people in the industry, a difficult relationship with IT is a recurrent theme and we're exploring this our current Research Focus examining the "Strategic Alignment of IS and IT".

Of course this tension is a feeling that is not just one way. Despite some occasional misunderstandings, I believe it's something that can be largely overcome, and that really starts through a process of better understanding and better relationships at a personal level.

Some of our recent articles tackle this head-on:

• Shaida Dorabjee takes us through some highly practical suggestions for managing difficult people which can also be applied to relationships between different departments.

• Tina Reynolds takes us through the kind of approaches which can keep the lines of communication open between IS and IT to avoid a fraught relationship in her article "How Do You Ensure the Best Possible Relationship With Your IT Department?". Tina stresses the importance of involving IT early and understanding their pressure points.

• Meanwhile my co-producer, Scott Vine, gives us food for thought in his article "Working with People Who Think Fundamentally Differently to You", covering concepts such as how IT folk look at the world, the need to think differently, and collaborative intelligence.

• Meanwhile FreePint's director of research, Robin Neidorf, writes on "Make It Easy for IT Colleagues to Work With You", about a process of self-awareness she went through when she participated in a workshop at a conference and realised there were better ways to communicate with IT. 

Together these articles plus the webinars and Communities of Practice in the Focus give some great tips for the basis of a better working relationship with IT, as well as exploring some of the reasons misunderstandings can arise.

My own take on the subject is that IT colleagues are often misunderstood... perhaps in a similar way information services functions are not always understood by the rest of the organisation. Maybe we have more in common than we thought?

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