IT outsourcing continues to carry with it connotations of big deals, large suppliers and loss of managerial control.  But a strategic IT sourcing strategy is a necessity for any enterprise, and every individual who owns a smart phone is using outsourced technology. In other words, the paradigm for IT outsourcing has shifted – technology is embedded in our daily lives and enterprises can take advantage of this shift.

The manner in which CIOs must engage within their organizations, with their customers, and with the marketplace is different now than it was even five years ago.  CIOs are seen as agents of change, and high performing IT organizations focus on collaboration and communication.  Which takes us back to technology outsourcing.  The concept of “design thinking” in IT outsourcing discussed by Stephanie Overby in her recent article is the perfect description of how a CIO can and should engage stakeholders not just with outsourced solutions, but with the development and implementation of enterprise strategies.  At the core of design thinking is empathetic engagement, and an iterative approach that aligns with today’s end user and their adoption of new technologies.

CIOs need their own “operating system” or “platform” that can adjust to change in a manner that makes sense to end users, can move at the speed of the market and that engages the organizational ecosystem within which he or she operates.  Understanding the needs of others, engaging stakeholders in the proper forums and establishing a cadence of continuous change are the attributes of a CIO “platform” that embraces the paradigm shift “IT outsourcing” has undergone in recent years.

– Patrick Moore, 28-April-2017 – [bio]