Tutorial 4B: Thinking Strategically About Information Technology
Tuesday, November 7th, 13.00
Room: Dania
"How should we innovate?" is a question managers ask themselves all the time. But a more fundamental question often goes unasked: "Where should we innovate?" Noting that innovation isn't free, Nicholas Carr argues that organisations should focus their creativity on a few critical areas - the ones capable of producing a competitive edge - and be ruthless imitators elsewhere. In this tutorial, he will offer a series of practical and often surprising strategies that will increase the odds that innovation initiatives and investments really pay off, illustrating them with compelling examples.
He will then use these frameworks to examine the best approach to IT investment, exploring the question: "Will technology innovation give your company a competitive advantage, or has information technology become a simple cost of doing business?" He will draw on the research for his book "Does IT Matter?". Nick will examine the forces that turn IT from a strategic resource into a commodity and lay out the practical implications for IT investment and management.
Finally, Nick will examine a series of examples of companies who are leaders in making smart IT investments in today's age of commoditization and utility supply.
