First, in the interests of full disclosure, the title for this blog was inspired the excellent blog, Wierarchy, and its latest post on Exploring the HR Management Framework for Enterprise 2.0. Note, I have changed the title from “an” to “the”  as I feel there are multiple possible management frameworks for IT, and from “Management Framework” to “Operating Model” as I believe that the concept of an “operating model” is more tangible and actionable for IT folk – especially through Web 2.0 tools, as I shall show in subsequent posts.

So, What’s an IT Operating Model?

eHow, in their very simplified discussion on how to develop a business operating model state that an operating model is:

the basic framework that your company follows to get your products into the hands of consumers”

If we translate this to the IT space, we could say that “an IT operating model is the basic framework your IT organization follows to get your products and services into the hands of its consumers and customers.”

Why Does Enterprise 2.0 Demand a New IT Operating Model?

This is a question I get from time to time, and I think there are at least three key answers:

1. The types of IT products and services the IT organization must deliver in an Enterprise 2.0 world are quite different from those in a 1.0 world.  Enablement of enterprise collaboration, for example.
2. The ways that IT products and services can be delivered in an Enterprise 2.0 world are also quite different.  Through “the cloud”, for example.
3. The ways of designing and executing an IT Operating Model in a Web 2.0 context are also quite different.  Collaboratively, and through “the cloud”, for example.

I’m actually most excited about point 3. above.  It’s something I’ve been exploring, both through multi-company research and through actual consulting engagements, and can now state unequivocally that Web 2.0 provides an incredibly powerful context through which to design and actualize an IT Operating Model.  But in the next few posts, I’m going to explore each of the three questions.  And, in the interests of collaboration, let me ask a question…

How are you using Web 2.0 approaches to change your IT Operating Model?

Image courtesy of FredCavazza.net