Transform your IT culture for business success

Culture not only defines who you are and how you interact with each other, but it also impacts your team’s performance and productivity. “A bad culture affects team performance. Having a really good culture means giving the business what it needs,” says Dundas.

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establish culture

One of the most important rules for establishing a culture is to break down silos and build a more inclusive IT community. Over the past decade, First Citizens Bank has expanded its assets from $17 billion to $210 billion through a series of mergers and acquisitions, but over the years it has sought to establish a “team DNA” rather than a personal fiefdom. There has been a concerted effort.

“If the network team, DBA team, or application team drops the ball, it should reflect across the entire IT department, not just the performance of that individual team,” says Dede Ramoneda, executive vice president and CIO at the bank. he explains. “We have broken down silos and redefined our identity to provide complete IT solutions rather than specific parts. We need to optimize for this, which changes the way we collaborate with colleagues and challenge each other.”

First Citizen Bank

It’s also important to intentionally and explicitly reinforce key values ​​to keep everyone on board. Ramoneda’s management team is focused on always connecting the impact of the services provided by IT to the lives of its customers, especially when problems arise. For example, IT leaders say when an ATM network goes down, leaving one customer unable to get cash to buy an engagement ring, or when another customer is ambushed by a malfunctioning ATM and is waiting for a cruise to take off. I shared a story about a time when I couldn’t make it in time. “We use storytelling like this to emphasize that we’re not just supporting systems, we’re supporting technology that impacts people’s lives,” Ramoneda says.

At Brown & Brown Insurance, our IT culture is focused on building close partnerships with the business to drive positive outcomes. This partnership will continue to be strengthened by listening, bringing IT leaders into the business, and changing the interviewing and hiring process. Gray Nestor, executive vice president and CIO of BBNI, says the company is looking for people with a partnership and business focus, as well as technical knowledge.

Patience and grace need to be part of the process, as people may not understand what you are asking or why you need to change their behavior at first.

brown & brown insurance

“You have to be proactive and provide people with feedback and examples on a regular basis to get different results,” Nester says. “The real challenge starts with moving the needle. You have to be willing to spend time with your business, spend time with your leadership, and prioritize progress over perfection.”

What are the key measures for a successful IT culture and results? For Hartford CIO Deepa Soni, seeing the IT organization as a strategic partner of the business means: This is a key point when organizational leaders, including CEOs, cite technology transformation as a key lever for insurance. Giant competitive advantage.

“When business leaders talk about how enhanced capabilities and digital tools are helping them gain market share, or how they are happy competing in the marketplace, that’s what success looks like to us.” says Soni.

hartford

Perhaps the most important piece of advice from Soni and other CIOs focuses on IT culture: “Don’t let up on the gas.”

“We quickly realized that if we didn’t continually reinforce our principles, our culture could rapidly decline,” says PNNI’s Abrahamson. “Patience and the ability to stick with your strategy are really important.”