How can an information services organization take a more active role in leading the business? What is the business impact of developing leaders at every level throughout an IT organization? Is it possible to create an environment where everyone in the organization feels challenged to take a leadership role?

These were some of the questions that drove the launch of our IR Vision and Leadership program last year. Historically, Georgia-Pacific Corp.'s information resources group has been able to anticipate business requirements. A year ago, we were at the top of our game, having recently won the Chairman's Award for recognition of our excellent performance and role as a strategic business partner.

But the game was rapidly changing. Changes in the economy, technology, and most importantly, the transformation of Georgia-Pacific from a commodity-based to a consumer-focused company were making it impossible to continue to excel using our traditional approach. We were faced with a paradox: speed up delivery of services without compromising our reputation for service. We also knew we'd have to increase the pace of developing and delivering innovative solutions to complex problems created by business transformation.

To address this case for change, we began a structured program. Based on work by Dr. Noel Tichy and pioneered at General Electric Co., the program is designed to develop leaders at every level of the IR organization. Beginning with the senior leadership team, every Georgia-Pacific IR employee participated in a series of workshops developed and led by IR team members. Using feedback from these sessions, we crafted a vision for IR's future, clearly stated the values we would live by, and developed a set of five "big ideas:" customer-service differentiation; next-generation flexible, adaptable technology; leaders at every level; information as a valued asset; and value-chain rationalization. These ideas are a framework to drive decisions and actions, including business-transforming IR projects.During these working sessions, many ideas emerged. Several of them developed into cross-divisional projects, including a major strategy and prioritization effort for customer-relationship-management processes and systems, and initiatives to develop enterprise-wide data structures, create consistent models for acquisition and divestiture activities, and explore methods of maximizing our use of Internet marketplaces.

To drive the communication and institutionalization of these concepts, we created an office of leadership and organizational development, reporting directly to the CIO and closely connected to our human-resources organization. This office's activities ensure that we're closely aligned with corporate values and strategies.

Throughout this process, it has been amazing to see team members suddenly understand that wherever they are in the organization, they have the opportunity and responsibility to lead. To foster this realization, we've created an environment that encourages open, honest feedback. We refer to this as "showing edge." I've seen employees who were afraid to open up learn to use this edge to communicate their ideas and opinions. This openness creates opportunities for ideas to emerge from previously untapped sources. Through cross-divisional, high-impact projects, we transfer these ideas and knowledge throughout the company, delivering substantial business value.

In concept, this is a straightforward program--simply agree upon and communicate the visions, values, and big ideas, and tell everyone that they have a responsibility to be a leader. In practice, it's a demanding, difficult process. To truly create an environment where everyone can feel challenged and encouraged to give his or her best requires a great deal of personal growth from the company's senior leadership. When the formal leaders manage and teach the workshops, there's no way to fake it. Back in the day-to-day work environment, team members know when words are supported by actions, and when they aren't.

We constantly emphasize that leadership comes from the top, the bottom, and all points in between. We challenge everyone to move outside their comfort zone and demonstrate leadership, regardless of title or job description. We're addressing the changes we face by learning to lead while continuing to fulfill our traditional service role. The result is an information resources organization that has helped drive Georgia-Pacific's business transformation.

Charles Williams is VP of information resources and CIO at Georgia-Pacific Corp.