I’ve often argued that the motivation and efforts of an IT organization should be transcendental: they must exceed the narrow limits of incumbent technologies and established architectural frameworks. Such efforts shouldn’t only be rational, they should be visionary. Sometimes, this means IT has to take the reigns.

So, now that we’ve gotten the hypothesis out of the way, let me take a moment to turn you on to Mojo Nixon, he of I Gotta Crazy Wife, That Someone Just Ain’t You, and When Did I Become a Dad? fame. This isn’t necessarily music I’d play loud if people are actually within earshot of my cubicle, but Mojo is about as good as a grande latte when the 4 o’clock hypoglycemia kicks in.

The point here is that new ideas can come from some unlikely places. As I wrote in a prior blog, everyone underestimates the visionary capabilities of the IT organization. IT can provide lines of business, executives, board members, and shareholders with original ideas and fresh thinking—a possibility rarely acknowledged by those outside of IT, who don’t engage often enough.

Okay, you’re thinking: When has IT ever provided the business with guidance? Aren’t they just a service, after all?

Inventory management and sell-through in retail. Customer profitability models. Fraud detection. Real-time product recommendations to purchase circles. Heck, the whole ERP thing, and the impact of the customer on the supply chain. They’re just not feasible without IT, and in most cases IT had to educate the business about their long-term value.

In short—and with a tip of the hat to Mojo Nixon—IT should be innovative, surprising, and consistently fun. Shouldn’t we all?

Technorati tag: business IT alignment, IT innovation, CRM, Mojo Nixon