The alignment of technology and business strategies is essential for an organisation's success. If the 2 strategies ever become disconnected this could hinder innovation, growth, and overall organisational effectiveness.

Why does this happen and how can your organisation prevent this disconnect in strategies from happening in the first place?

Understanding the Disconnection

The discrepancy between technology and business strategy often stems from various factors, including miscommunication, conflicting priorities, and differing perspectives. While technology has become an integral component of modern business operations, it's not uncommon for organisations to view technology and business as separate entities rather than intertwined forces.

The Implications of Disconnected Strategies

1. Inefficient Resource Allocation: When technology and business strategies are out of sync, resources may be misallocated, leading to wasted time, effort, and financial investments.

2. Missed Opportunities: A lack of integration between strategies can result in missed opportunities to leverage technology for competitive advantage, innovation, and market disruption.

3. Lack of Innovation: Without a shared vision, technology teams may not be fully aware of the business's strategic goals, hindering their ability to innovate and contribute to organisational growth.

4. Reduced Agility: A misalignment between strategies can slow down decision-making, reducing the organisation's ability to respond swiftly to changes in the market or industry.

How to Fix the Disconnected Strategies

1. Shared Vision and Communication: Establish clear communication channels between technology and business teams. Foster a shared vision that emphasises the role of technology in achieving business objectives.

2. C-Level Involvement: Ensure that top-level executives are actively engaged in both technology and business strategy discussions to facilitate alignment and strategic decision-making.

3. Integrated Planning: Develop strategies collaboratively, integrating technology considerations into business planning and vice versa.

4. Regular Alignment Meetings: Hold regular meetings where technology and business teams can discuss goals, priorities, and challenges to ensure ongoing alignment.

5. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Encourage collaboration between technology and business teams to enhance mutual understanding and ideation.

6. Educational Initiatives: Invest in educating both technology and business teams about each other's roles, responsibilities, and language to foster empathy and collaboration.

Conclusion

The disconnect between technology and business strategy is an obstacle that organisations must overcome. By fostering open communication, shared vision, and cross-functional collaboration, organisations can bridge the gap and forge a cohesive path toward achieving their strategic objectives. The synergy between technology and business is not just a goal—it's a prerequisite for long-term success.

Our Intrepid Technology Audit is a great way to determine the extent of the divide between technology and business strategies. We have specific audit criteria sections to evaluate how processes and people are aligning their technology tasks to meet actual business outcomes.

If you’d like to hear more about Intrepid Technology Auditing and Intrepid Advisory Services then please reach out to sales@beintrepid.co.uk to set up a free consultation and Q&A session about what types of technology evaluations you’d like to conduct.