Barrier in Digital Progress Due to Trust Concerns
In today's digital age, organisations worldwide are grappling with the challenge of digital transformation. However, a common hurdle that slows this process is the trust problem that exists between IT departments and other business functions.
The origin, growth, and festering of mistrust between IT and other functions in an organisation are detailed in John Roberts' book, "The Modern Firm". This mistrust primarily stems from several key factors.
Firstly, transparency gaps arise when business leaders fail to clearly communicate the rationale behind decisions and how IT and business goals align. When employees and IT teams do not understand the "why" behind strategies, they feel disconnected and like bystanders, which erodes trust.
Secondly, different cultures and priorities can create misunderstandings. IT typically focuses on technical reliability and risk mitigation, while business units prioritise speed, innovation, and market competitiveness. This can lead to misaligned expectations.
Thirdly, communication breakdowns occur due to siloed operations and lack of ongoing dialogue between IT and business teams. When business functions do not see how IT contributes to business outcomes, or when IT perceives business demands as unrealistic, trust deteriorates.
Lastly, the shift to distributed teams has introduced additional challenges. Not being physically present sometimes leads to assumptions of distrust on both sides. Managers may feel uncertain about productivity without direct observation, while employees may feel micromanaged or undervalued.
Addressing these issues to facilitate digital transformation involves enhancing transparency and communication, creating cross-functional collaboration, adopting the right tools and mindset, and building a culture of reliability through small wins.
Leaders should articulate business objectives clearly, including how IT initiatives contribute to achieving these goals. Sharing key metrics, progress updates, and challenges openly can build shared understanding and alignment. Encouraging joint planning, regular interaction, and shared accountability between IT and business teams fosters mutual respect and trust.
Using modern collaboration and tracking tools helps provide visibility into work outcomes without micromanagement, supporting trust in a hybrid/remote environment. Emphasising results over presence shifts focus to productivity and trustworthiness.
Keeping promises, even small ones, consistently rebuilds trust that may have been fractured. This includes setting realistic expectations and delivering on commitments.
In conclusion, the trust divide is largely about misaligned expectations, lack of transparency, and cultural gaps between IT and business functions. Bridging this divide requires purposeful communication, collaborative culture, and supportive management practices that recognise evolving work models—all crucial for successful digital transformation.
In the process of digital transformation, the lack of trust between IT departments and other business functions is often a hindrance, as detailed in John Roberts' book, "The Modern Firm". To mitigate this issue, leaders should strive to clarify business objectives, demonstrating how IT initiatives contribute to these goals, and foster cross-functional collaboration by encouraging joint planning, regular interaction, and shared accountability, while leveraging modern technology to enhance visibility into work outcomes and maintain trust in a hybrid/remote environment.
