Education - Center for Information Systems Research (CISR)

MIT CISR Summer Session 2009

Generating Business Value from IT:
How to Build Business Success in the Midst of a Downturn

Driving Business Value Through Effective IT Governance
    - led by Peter Weill & Jeanne W. Ross
Enterprise Architecture for Business Success
    - led by Jeanne W. Ross & George Westerman
IT Risk & Oversight
    - led by George Westerman & Peter Weill
Becoming an IT Savvy Firm
    - led by Peter Weill & Jeanne W. Ross
IT Enabled Change: Business Approaches, Leadership Challenges
    - led by Stephanie Woerner

Workshop Descriptions:

Monday, June 15
Driving Business Value Through Effective IT Governance
Peter Weill and Jeanne W. Ross, MIT Sloan CISR
Guest Speaker: Diane Bryant
CIO and Vice President, Intel

How do top performers govern IT?
How does IT governance link to the governance of the firm’s other key assets?
How can leaders articulate IT strategy targeting business profitability and growth?
What should you do to ensure your firm has effective, transparent IT decision making processes?

IT governance allocates decision rights and accountabilities across the key stakeholders of the enterprise. This allocation of decision rights is critical for implementing a firm’s strategy and thus is a powerful lever for generating business value from IT. In this workshop, we draw on research at more than 300 firms in over 30 countries to identify the IT governance practices of top performing firms. Participants will benchmark their IT governance performance against the firms in our research. You will learn how to define the role of IT in terms of an operating model and how to design, on one page, the key governance mechanisms for delivering the IT capabilities your firm most needs. Throughout the day, we will illustrate best practice using case studies of firms such as: P&G, PwC, State Street Corporation, UPS, Exxon Mobil, ING Direct, and MetLife.

Participants will receive a copy of IT Governance: How Top Performers Manage IT Decision Rights for Superior Results, by Peter Weill & Jeanne W. Ross (Harvard Business School Press, 2004).

Tuesday, June 16
Enterprise Architecture for Business Success
Jeanne W. Ross and George Westerman, MIT Sloan CISR
Guest Speaker: Yury Zaytsev
Global CIO (retired), Swiss Re

Why do firms need a digitized platform to compete in a global economy?
What benefits should firms expect from their enterprise architecture initiatives?
How can we link innovation and architecture processes?
What should you do to ensure your firm has a clear enterprise architecture and is consistently building and driving benefits from it?

CISR research has identified four distinct stages in a firm's enterprise architecture journey, progressing from application and business process silos to development and use of a digitized business process platform. Although enterprise architecture requires effective implementation and use of technology, the greater challenge is the gradual adoption of a digitized business process platform. MIT CISR case studies and surveys have consistently found that this platform enhances business agility and profitability. In this workshop participants will learn critical concepts in the design of a high-level enterprise architecture for your core business processes. You will assess the practices you use to foster organizational learning around the effective use of IT in the enterprise. And you will discuss how to innovate in ways that leverage your existing capabilities and position you for future business opportunities. Yury Zaytsev, former CIO of Swiss Re, will wrap up the day with a description of Swiss Re’s remarkable enterprise architecture journey and the resulting business benefits.

Participants will receive a copy of Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution, by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David C. Robertson (Harvard Business School Press, 2006).

Wednesday, June 17
IT Risk & Oversight
George Westerman and Peter Weill, MIT Sloan CISR
Guest Speaker: Joseph Antonellis
Vice Chairman (and former CIO), State Street Corporation

What are the key enterprise-level IT risks, and what constitutes effective risk management capability?
How can a risk-based viewpoint improve business/IT relationships?
How can we manage risk while maintaining enterprise agility?
What should you do to ensure effective business oversight of IT?

IT risk management and oversight are required elements of IT service delivery. But they can be much more. Implementing effective risk management and oversight changes the nature of conversations between IT and business executives, resulting in better IT/business relationships and more effective IT management. Based on research at more than 750 enterprises, this workshop examines effective practices for IT risk management and oversight. We will examine four enterprise-level IT risks and the components of effective IT risk management capability. We will show how you can use risk frameworks to change the way you address key decisions, strategies, and IT capabilities. Participants will learn what distinguishes a high performing IT leader, and how effective IT leaders enable their business counterparts to provide effective oversight. Joseph Antonellis, former CIO and now Vice Chairman of State Street Corporation, will share his insights about business executive oversight of IT.

Participants will receive a copy of IT Risk: Turning Business Threats into Competitive Advantage, by George Westerman and Richard Hunter, named by CIO Insight as one of the ten best management books of 2007 (Harvard Business School Press, 2007).

Thursday, June 18
Becoming an IT Savvy Firm
Peter Weill and Jeanne W. Ross, MIT Sloan CISR
Guest Speaker: Per-Åke Tobiasson
Head of Global Information Management, Tetra Pak

What is IT Savvy and why do IT savvy firms get higher returns per IT dollar?
What are the key asset classes in an IT portfolio and how do they relate to firm performance?
How can you assess your firm’s IT savvy?
How can you make your firm more IT savvy?

IT savvy firms invest in IT portfolios balancing business opportunity and risk just as individuals balance risk and reward in their financial portfolios. CISR research has found that firms who have above average IT savvy and IT spending have, on average, 20% higher profit margins. In this session we’ll examine the practices and competencies of IT savvy firms. Participants will learn the MIT CISR approach to the management of IT investment as a portfolio and the average financial returns from investments in each IT asset class. You will then self-assess your firm’s IT savvy and compare your results to MIT CISR benchmarks drawn from over 1000 firms. You will also discuss the leadership roles required for a successful transition to a more IT savvy firm. During the day best practice will be illustrated with case studies of firms like 7-Eleven Japan, EMC, and Campbell Soup Company.

Participants will receive a copy of IT Savvy: What Top Executives Must Know to Go from Pain to Gain by Peter Weill and Jeanne W. Ross, Harvard Business School Press, forthcoming 2009.

Friday, June 19
IT-Enabled Change: Business Approaches, Leadership Challenges
Stephanie Woerner, MIT Sloan CISR
Speakers: Roberto M. Fernandez, MIT Sloan; and Jeanne W. Ross and Cyrus (Chuck) Gibson, MIT Sloan CISR
Guest Speaker: John Glaser
CIO, Partners Healthcare

How do organizations effectively execute new IT-enabled and IT-driven business change?
What new roles is IT playing in major business transformations?
How can the risks of cultural, political, and structural mis-alignment in organizational change initiatives be successfully anticipated, mitigated, and managed?
How can you successfully lead change initiatives and deliver their expected benefits?

IT implementations are organizational change projects. But change at all organizational levels is hard. Studies suggest that simply getting an IT project or system implemented is challenging. Changing the business to achieve anticipated benefits has proved to be an even bigger challenge. This workshop will explore the leadership and change management approaches that characterize successful business change initiatives. We will focus on three key dimensions of organizations: formal design, politics, and culture. Participants will learn how top firms define project goals to enhance success. You will identify the leadership roles your firm needs to increase the benefits you receive from business change projects and complete successful transformation efforts. You will also discuss the role of the IT unit in leading organizational change. John Glaser, CIO at Partners Healthcare, will describe IT-enabled transformations occurring in health care—including the impact of dramatic increases in government spending for healthcare IT—and what firms in other industries can learn from the experience in health care organizations.