logic ; it ’ s the revelation that much effort is required to shift culture . In the age of constricting budgets , culture at times can be immovable when faced with the rationale of cost savings . At the ACUTA Winter 2017 Seminar , Evangel University ’ s chief information officer , Gary Blackard , offered a couple of astute observations , which resonated with this idea of changing culture . First , Blackard offered that “ information technology needs to be a people business more than a technology business .” Second , Blackard commented , “ You have to build trust with the campus before you can shift the culture .”
Being in the people business means that I need to stop pushing change and spend time listening to the perspectives of the faculty , staff , and students on my campus . I need to ask more questions , as opposed to reciting industry trends and figures . I need to holster my agenda and adopt a disposition of being helpful to my customers .
This week I met with a department on campus that operates one of the inbound call centers we service . In this meeting I asked the question , “ What ’ s broken with the current system ?” The response was that nothing is “ broken ,” but they perceive there are opportunities available with a different solution . Just that brief encounter reinforces this idea that I need to be less confrontational and more amenable to what is perceived as missing or bothersome . Being in the people business means coming to a better appreciation of the business that our people are engaged in . Being in the people business means offering support and assistance to help our people accomplish their business . Being in the people business , I ’ d offer , also means allowing our people to reject our offers of assistance . Relationships should matter more than process efficiencies or our specific expertise .
Building trust can come from our efforts at being in the people business . Establishing trust and developing these relationships fuels our ability to effectively engage culture and capitalize on opportunities to make changes . I suspect that many of us have experienced situations where we accepted change because we trusted the person making the suggestion . Maybe we ’ ve experienced the opposite , not accepting change because we didn ’ t trust the person asking for the change . As one person in the audience of Blackard ’ s 2017 Winter Seminar presentation observed , “ trust takes time to build and a moment to lose .”
In light of the context of trust and people , I still believe that retiring our phone system , for smaller niche solutions , over the next several years is the appropriate move for ACU . However , I recognize that such a change will require considerable effort that engages people and their business and builds trust along the way . Forcing such a change will definitely doom this effort . Building consensus , illustrating opportunities , soliciting input , inviting individuals to partner , and welcoming feedback can serve this process and aid in making such a change successful . The reality I ’ m facing is that all of these items require time and patience . Even with 4,500 students and 800 faculty / staff , ACU doesn ’ t turn on a dime . It may take nine years to realize the perception I offered in 2011 . However , if I ’ m able to develop trust and confidence among the faculty , staff , and students of ACU that IT is in the business of people and not just technology , I perceive this is time well spent .
Share your comments and ideas with Arthur at branta @ acu . edu .
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8 Winter 2017 ACUTA Journal
While this is not all of the initiatives , it is a good starting point . Your partners should know they can call you if they have a question , but they should also know you are not a help desk . The BRM office should route day-to-day problems to a service manager or help-desk employee so they can focus on time building the strategic relationship and moving both the business and IT forward .
BRMPs should be good communicators , able to speak “ non-geek ,” as more and more top leaders are not trained in technical issues . BRMPs need to be able to explain the technology at a high-level . This could be challenging to new BRMPs as they need to have a general understanding of all the offerings within the organizational unit , the ongoing projects , and any new or retired services .
Business Relationship Management is not just in IT any more ; the framework is moving into Human Resources , Finance , and other organizations . The models and strategies learned in the official BRMP training can provide significant value to any institution , whether they define a position or are universally applied .
Customer satisfaction as well as the relationship between the business and IT has definitely improved since Texas A & M University implemented BRM . We no longer use the word “ customers ”, as we do not see them as simply someone who consumes a product . Instead they are our partners , we work together with them to provide meaningful service that provides value . Our partners see value in BRM ’ s as they feel communication has increased between IT and the business , services are improving and IT is becoming more transparent . Partners feel their voices are being heard , changes are being implemented and they have a champion who is on their side . Business Relationship Management is about Continual Service Improvement , thus by keeping the lines of communication open , being transparent and working with your business partners , your organization is sure to see growth through the use of BRM .
Jana McDonald is an ACUTA directorat-large as well as business relationship manager at Texas A & M University . Reach her at janam @ tamu . edu .
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