Issue link: https://industrialmanagement.epubxp.com/i/513969
20 Industrial Management Technology management is the super- vision of operations and personnel who work in the technical sphere of a business or organization. It includes project management, quality management, strategy, statistics and, of course, computers. It may not be on the forefront of everybody's minds, but technology is also becoming a major part of the fashion industry. The field of technology once was likened to that of manufacturing in that it involves a series of inputs in a sequential manner, was composed of jobs that were scheduled and timed, and drew from engineering and scientific disciplines. Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great , wrote, "Technology and technology-driven change [have] virtually nothing to do with igniting a transformation from good to great. Technology can accelerate a transfor- mation, but technology cannot cause a transformation." Thus, technology by itself is not a driver of greatness, but the way it is managed is the underlying factor that creates value for organizations and leads to excellence. Companies such as Microsoft, IBM, Oracle and SAP, which are in the computer software, enterprise software and information technology industry, all are companies that have created competitive advantages through the use of technology management. Other businesses, such as Motorola, Nokia, Netflix and Amazon, use and transform the way technology is applied to their advantage. The cell phone industry sees rapid changes to market share because of how fast technology evolves. Netflix's business model is affected by technology since it has shifted from focusing on the physical delivery of DVDs through the mail to streaming movies and television shows to their customers online. Amazon has been a leader in technology management in how the company tracks inventory and innovates in the services it offers to customers. These examples show that to be excellent in managing this field, The CIO ... must be ready to input time, resources and energy. organizations need to adapt to changes in trends and have an open mind as to what their business strategy is and what it should be. Pursuit of excellence Key players in technology management include the chief information officer. The CIO, synonymous with the job title of information technology director, reports what is happening in the technology department and how these things relate to the strategic goals of the organization to personnel in the C-suite, which can include the CEO, chief financial officer or chief opera- tions officer. The role has been characterized as an "independent service provider, responsible primarily for managing a budget and controlling the costs of the IT organization," Patrick Gray wrote in Breakthrough IT . Gray jokes that the title "CIO" is referred to as "career is over." However, such a mindset is not conducive to excelling in this field, and the CIO should be tasked with implementing the strategic vision of the company as an integral member of the C-suite. The chief technology officer is another factor in the management of technology. It is debatable whether the CTO should be included in the C-suite. Some say this is necessary if technology has an impact on the business and its strategy. However, one could argue that every organization is affected by technology, thus every organization could benefit from having a CTO, not just for purchasing the newest gadgets but for finding the link between technology and strategy. The roles of CIO and CTO are similar and sometimes can be confused as being one and the same. The two positions do have varying focuses and different skill sets. The CIO is thought of as the manager of a company's technology infrastructure; one who is in charge of running the organization's internal IT operations, focusing on internal customers. The CIO is typically given IT projects that are necessary for an organization to achieve some objective, and the person who holds that position must navigate through market trends. The CTO, on the other hand, is thought of as the company's technology architect; one who is in charge of running the engineering department, focusing on external customers. Both jobs exist to fulfill business strategies and align their functions with those strategies. To achieve excellence, clear job roles and responsibilities must be defined and communicated across departmental lines so that there is no confusion as to who is in charge of what. Changing the culture of a company toward becoming more technologically advanced is a difficult challenge that managers must face. "Cultures sustain people throughout periods of difficulty and serve to ward off anxiety," John Ivancevich wrote in Organizational Behavior and Management . "One of the ways they do this is by providing continuity and stability. Thus, people will naturally resist change to a new culture." For the CIO to change the mindset of an organization, he or she must be ready to input time, resources and energy. The business plan must have a solid foundation to be prepared to adapt to advancements in technology. An important step in achieving excel- lence of technology management, and perhaps one of the first steps, is for the CIO, the key player of the department, to either be evaluated or conduct a self- evaluation. Questions should include: • Do the other players of C-level status trust the CIO? • Does the CIO understand the basics of business? • How strong of a businessperson is he or she in relevance to business acumen? • Does the CIO have a passion for technology? The same line of evaluation should also be applied to the staff in the IT