503-785-3485
bill@conerlyconsulting.com
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
Conerly Consulting Conerly Consulting
  • Consulting
    • Approach/Philosophy
    • Sounding Board
    • Economics and Business Strategy
    • Assessment
    • Case Studies
    • Testimonials
  • Speaking
    • The Package
    • Topics
    • Testimonials
  • Writing
    • Businomics Newsletter
    • Businomics
    • The Flexible Stance
    • Blog
  • Industries
    • Banking/Finance
    • Manufacturing
    • Other Industries
  • Video
    • Speaking
    • Event Promotion
    • Business Planning
  • About
    • News Coverage
  • Contact
  • Consulting
    • Approach/Philosophy
    • Sounding Board
    • Economics and Business Strategy
    • Assessment
    • Case Studies
    • Testimonials
  • Speaking
    • The Package
    • Topics
    • Testimonials
  • Writing
    • Businomics Newsletter
    • Businomics
    • The Flexible Stance
    • Blog
  • Industries
    • Banking/Finance
    • Manufacturing
    • Other Industries
  • Video
    • Speaking
    • Event Promotion
    • Business Planning
  • About
    • News Coverage
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Business Strategy
  • I.T. and Business Strategy

Business Strategy

27 May 2006

I.T. and Business Strategy

  • By Bill Conerly
  • In Business Strategy
  • 1 comment

Interesting discussion of conflicts between IT and business strategists by Christopher Koch at http://blogs.cio.com/node/310.  It’s kind of geeky, so be warned.  However, there was an excellent comment made by Robin Harris (StorageMojo.com):

"IT isn’t the business. If it were true that smart businesses operate within the confines of their architecture, we’d all be running batch jobs on mainframes and loving it.

Business is its own force, a dynamic produced by the interactions of millions of people with each other, technology, culture and, yes, information. The dynamic of business shapes us as much as, perhaps more than, we shape it. Of course process and routine are essential to the scaling of business. Yet they are only tools. Means, not ends. If you can’t master business, at least be a willing and thoughtful servant."

Young college grads have found a disconnect between classroom learning and their first business experience.  Economics and business professors showed how to make decisions, but the grads found the companies did not have a small fraction of the information that was needed.  The profs had pretty much ignored those issues.  So the lore of college economics was forgotten and the young grads learned the old-time rules of thumb.

Now, however, we have a great deal of the information we need for best-possible decisions.  But everyone has forgotten the lore; we’re still using the old rules of thumb.

Exercise for business:  make your next strategy meeting a "blank sheet" session.  What if we had no IT system, no existing business process, nothing but an idea of what our product or service is, and a blank sheet of paper.  How do we design a decision-making system that will help us identify markets, adapt to competitive changes, set prices, minimize production costs, etc.  Have a facilitator who continually reinforces the "blank sheet of paper" assumption, so that no one says, "but we can’t do that."

  • Share:
Bill Conerly

    Comments

  1. thebizofknowledge
    September 12, 2006

    The blank sheet session I think is an innovative idea. Total brain-storming w/o our current props to develop marketing strategy, etc. And then combine the best of both worlds. Practical, hands-on….

Comments are closed.

Search

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!

View Latest Issue

RSS Bill’s Forbes Articles

  • The Labor Market Is Tight Despite High Unemployment February 19, 2021
    Finding workers is hard despite the high unemployment rate, because many jobless folks don't match the skills needed, don't want to shift occupations or prefer to collect unemployment. Business focus on retention should be top priority.

Testimonials

Bill Conerly is one of the most interesting and engaging speakers I have ever heard. The fact that he is a very funny man is a bonus.
James A. Kronenberg, Oregon Medical Association
Bill did a great job! There were many in the audience who liked him and many in the audience who loved him! Bill shared pertinent and timely information with our audience of commercial real estate professionals and added interesting stories and a funny sense of humor twist.
Jana Knoll, BOMA Boise
We asked Bill Conerly to look at one of the major factors limiting the growth of our business. He pulled together data from a wide range of sources, as well as his own extensive business knowledge, to give us an insight into when conditions would improve and how we could be ready to capitalize on better times. He did so in a straight forward, easy to understand manner. A year later it was clear that things had evolved just as he had forecast. Ever since then he’s been my go-to guy on how the e…
Len Ludwig, former CEO, Vencore Capital LLC
Bill’s presentation was neatly balanced…rich with content.. and our audience really enjoyed his humor.
Bing Sheldon, SERA Architects
The ratings you received from our banker evaluations were among the highest I’ve seen, which matched my impressions exactly. Your presentation style is quite engaging, you bring interesting and valuable content, and our ability to interact in a stimulating way during “Q&A” sessions makes you a valuable addition to any meeting agenda. As a bonus, you are a genuinely enjoyable participant in conference activities beyond your presentation.
Steve Yeakel, Montana Independent Bankers
Bill did a great job. We look forward to a continuing relationship.
John Hamburger, Franchise Times
Our audience of local business and community leaders not only valued the economic data you provided, but they really appreciated that you made it applicable to their businesses, their personal lives and moreover – that you presented it in a clear and entertaining manner.
Scott Boyer, Mountain Pacific Bank
Bill is a delight and easy to work with. The client thought he was great and delivered value to their group. I would definitely recommend Bill.
Andrea Gold, Gold Stars Speakers Bureau
Your presentation was right on the mark. I received more positive comments about you than any other presenter. We would not hesitate to recommend you to others or have you back for an encore performance.
Bob Russell, Oregon Trucking Association
As you know, it can be difficult to find economists who provide good substantive information who are so entertaining and engaging. I received many enthusiastic comments from members and others in attendance. I was very pleased with Dr. Conerly and have recommended him to NCSTAE, our national organization.
Molly Steckel, Idaho Telecom Alliance

Get in touch

(503) 785-3485

bill@conerlyconsulting.com

PO Box 2188
Lake Oswego, OR 97035

Useful Links

  • Consulting
  • Speaking
  • Videos
  • Blog
  • Press
  • Contact

Social Links

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin

Newsletters

Copyright 2020 Conerly Consulting LLC