Gartner, Align Thyself

Quelle: CIO USA

GARTNER, ONE OF THE WORLD'S most influential informationtechnology research and consulting companies, makes itsliving dispensing advice on technology, strategy andbusiness-IT alignment. So it is profoundly ironic that thecompany recently faced its own misalignment woes. During thelate 1990s, the Stamford, Conn.-based consultancy sufferedfrom a chronic lack of communication between its ITdepartment and its far-flung business units. That disconnectcost the company millions of dollars every year, in theestimation of its own CIO and other observers.

These troubles were exacerbated by a no-holds-barredacquisition strategy that went awry in the dust of thedotcom bust last spring. Like some of its clients, Gartnersaw its market valuation and share price drop, and it had tosell off and take a loss on some of what it swallowed duringthe boom-time feeding frenzy. The company is now applyingits own advice internally and using the lessons it learnedin restoring alignment between its own IT department and itsbusiness side to meet the recession-time challenges ofrestoring investor confidence and bolstering itsbread-and-butter research revenue.

Here is the story of how Gartner dug itself into a hole andhow it is digging out.

Digging the Hole: Who's in Charge Here?