InformationWeek

April 24, 2001

letter image Secret CIO image Your letters to my print column and this E-mail forum raise some serious issues about managing information technology in today's world. Since today's world is essentially absurd, my serious responses may sometimes sound a little whimsical, and my occasional whimsical ones, serious. In any case, if you want to participate, or comment, write to me at lovelace@home.com. I reserve the right to edit for size and content. Just sign your E-mail the way you want it to appear online.

Dear Herb,
I am an MBA student. In my day job, I've been given an assignment to try to turn a large New York financial institution into one that is "Internet ready." Because of the conservative nature of the firm and the industry, the CEO is concerned that the firm will fall behind its competitors quickly. Its Web efforts so far haven't been as successful as it had hoped. The CEO's feelings are that the culture of the organization may not allow for rapid change.

What are your suggestions about implementing Net technology at a firm whose businesses have traditionally been relationship-based, not technology-based, and whose employees are slow to change?

Thanks,
Nathan

Dear Nathan:
First of all, slow down. Neither you nor any other outsider to the ruling elite can bring an established, conservative firm into the Internet age. The only people who can do that are the leaders of the firm, and even they will have a very difficult time achieving the goal. The CEO is right on target when he's concerned that the culture of the organization may not allow for rapid change. It's far more difficult to change the culture of an organization than it is to implement any system.

OK, so what do you do? Recognize that people do not change unless there's a compelling reward for doing so or a devastating punishment for not changing. Even then, human nature being what it is, some individuals will choose to become extinct before they modify their behavior. The reasons given are many, but they tend to group around a few statements, such as:

We tried that once, and it doesn't work.
Our company is different.
I hear what you're saying, but I don't think that is what the boss really wants.
I'm too busy doing real work to get involved.
This too shall pass, and then we can get back to business.

To make change in this conservative financial institution, you will first have to work with the CEO to find that compelling reason to change. It could be something as simple as the CEO letting everyone know that "in my estimation, we will be out of business in 12 months if we don't adopt some Internet selling to keep pace with the competition," or a subtle observation such as, "I intend to fire summarily anyone who does not give his or her full support to this new project."

I think you get the idea. The message has to be clear that change will occur.

The second thing that has to happen is there has to be a meaningful program of objectives and results. This is no time for squishy goals and vague measurements. It is the time to talk to senior management and the ordinary people who actually make the place run. Find out what problems and opportunities exist. Determine what they think is wrong and what should change. Now for the hard work: formulate a project with three attributes:

Advance the goal of being a firm that takes advantage of the Internet to build relationships with customers.
It's relatively short in duration, so success can be achieved before people lose interest.
It has management's support and will be a popular new way to do business in the minds of (at least) a vocal segment of the organization.

The third action is probably the most important. Pick to implement the project people who have the same drive as you do for making it work. And then, throughout the life of the project, spend time with the firm's executives and with the people in the trenches to makes sure that what you're doing continues to have their support.

Dear Herbert:
I enjoyed your article "Where Have All The CIOs Gone?" In light of your expertise in the area, we thought you could answer one of our burning questions:

If one gets fired as a CIO for a major company, does that aversely affect future employment possibilities? Or are CIOs like coaches for professional sports teams who expect to be eventually fired?

The Curious Ones

Dear Curious Ones:
You (plural) obviously have the talent to join that so-called elite group of CIOs. Anyone wise enough to recognize the significant resemblance between the cadre of CIOs and the members of the coaching fraternity/sorority has the talents of perception necessary to make it as the IT leader of a major corporation.

I doubt that many people, coaches, or CIOs go into a new position expecting to be fired. But most of them accept it as a possibility and mentally move on to do the job.

However, when a CIO is fired, in short order that person is often on the interview list for another job as a CIO. Experience is considered a great plus in this game, and if the experience is gained at the expense of losing your job, that's not necessarily a terrible distraction to your next potential employer. What is important is that you can explain succinctly and clearly what you learned from the experience. (Oh, by the way, it's considered bad form to blame your travails on your former employer. All that does is show that you probably didn't learn a great deal from the situation, after all.)

Still, as I said in the article, more and more CIOs have decided that they want to quit that rat race. So you'll see former CIOs who go on to head dot-coms (diminishing in popularity), become consultants (an ever-popular occupation), or even become the CEOs of major companies. There are also a few who kick back and enjoy watching the grass grow.

Dear Mr. Lovelace:
Is it really fair to blame Microsoft for virus problems in its software? We've all known for years that it writes terrible software, and we buy it anyway! Caveat emptor is still good advice.

In any case, Microsoft has no concept of computer system architecture, which is necessary to build software that's not full of problems. Add to that the use of antiquated networking protocols (i.e. TCP/IP) that also lack any significant architectural structure, and we wind up with systems that any 14-year-old kid can defeat.

Actually, the viruses, denials of service, and other pranks don't worry me nearly as much as serious computer criminals (organized crime, unfriendly foreign governments, and unscrupulous business competitors). These entities aren't interested in the digital equivalent of spray painting obscenities and breaking out windows. They have no intention of advertising that they successfully entered your systems and pirated your information, or perhaps even modified some of it in subtle ways. They want to be able to come back for more.

The virus problem was solved effectively more than 30 years ago. Have you ever heard of a virus on an IBM System/390? It doesn't happen, because the hardware and systems software architecture is designed to prevent data integrity failures of many kinds. Even if applications running in that environment are poorly designed or even malicious, the hardware and operating system protect themselves and other applications from harm. This is as it should be.

Jim Hanna

Dear Jim:
In all fairness to Microsoft, the virus problem is far more difficult to solve today than it ever was on a System/390 mainframe. Back in those days, we didn't have people able to load programs remotely, and people didn't send around executable code to each other's computers haphazardly. Everything was done in a much more controlled fashion. In addition, Microsoft has to deal with the architectural problems of TCP/IP, which wasn't designed for the type of use to which it is being put. And DOS, the basis for everything from Redmond up through Windows 98, wasn't conceived as a networked system.

That said, the fact remains that it's perfectly fair to blame Microsoft for not doing more to bulletproof the systems that it issues. People don't really have a viable option (one that won't require a huge change) in choosing their desktop operating system for Intel-based machines. Likewise, the prevalence of Microsoft Office precludes most people from seeking an alternative for word processing, presentations, and spreadsheet work.

When you're in such a position of dominance in an industry, as is Microsoft, you wind up getting the blame for what ills are distributed with your products. And why not? For example, with all the features available in Windows, why isn't there a built-in virus-protection system with--gasp--free lifetime updates? With all of the needless functions in Internet Explorer, why isn't there a built-in firewall for your Internet connection?

Dear Herb:
When reading some of the computer-industry magazines and browsing through the ads (especially the ones you refer in to in your "What Is It That You're Selling?" article), I get the feeling that the world of computers takes on almost a three-dimensional life of its own.

The industry is talked about and glamorized as if life with computers is on a different plateau than one without them. In this environment, how do you give yourself a reality check and remind yourself of the really important things in life such as God, family, health, and a normal social life?

Would love to get your insight.

Isaac S.

Dear Isaac:
I'm certainly not the best person to answer your question, but since you asked, I'll tell you my opinion as to how to get that reality check:

Look at the smile on a small child's face when she solves a puzzle.
Think about whether on your deathbed you'll regret spending time with a loved one instead of working late yet another evening.
Consider how important your job would be if you found out that you--or someone you care about deeply--had six months to live.
Try to remember what it was that got you so angry at work a year ago.

Herbert W. Lovelace shares his experiences (changing most names, including his own, to protect the guilty) as CIO of a multibillion-dollar international company. Send him E-mail at lovelace@home.com.

NOTE TO READERS: As I've mentioned, I am planning to put my InformationWeek columns together into a book with a little bit of additional commentary around the events and people about whom I write. If any reader would like to be notified of such an event, please drop me an E-mail. Just use the word BOOK as the subject line.