Lessons in IT Transformation: Technology Expert to Business Leader

Creating the Vision

Although it might be challenging if not impossible to have every single member of an organization actively participate in the creation of a vision, it is imperative that each person feels that he or she had input into the process and sees and feels something that matters personally in the vision. One of the ways I have seen this accomplished is by having representatives of the different groups that make up an organization participate in the process of defining the vision.

In the process of developing the vision, the way these representatives are chosen is critical. The organization shouldn't simply select the managers of each of the functional groups. Instead, they should select a diverse group from among the informal leaders from each of the groups. In order to ensure that you have chosen the right people, you need to answer a few questions. Who has the most influence with this group? Who do people seem to rally around or hang out with? Who do people go to with their questions and concerns? Who has the answers when people have questions or concerns? Many times, the real leader in a group is not the person with the most formal authority or the loftiest title. Find the real leader and invite that person to participate in the creation of the vision.

You must also provide people the time and space from their normal responsibilities to invest in developing the vision. If you ask employees to be a part of this effort without taking into consideration the impact this ...