What is our Mission?

A friend of mine now works for a company that bought his company out. Yesterday I asked him how the transition was going. He stated that it appeared that decisions within the I.T. department were being done tactically - to achieve cost reductions.. At least that's the way it appeared to him.

How could it be that after a year, a senior level manager had to "interpret" the I.T. strategy of his new company?

The problem occurs more frequently than you might think.

Don't believe me? Walk around your department and ask the question: What is our Mission?
And listen to the answers. Even if your company isn't going through a big transition, don't be surprised if the answers are "all over the board".

Then think about what an opportunity you might be missing. The efforts of even the most talented and energetic people can be compromised, if they aren't directed to a common mission. And if your people aren't 100% certain of the goal, getting there is going to take significantly longer!

Many of us assume that everyone knows where we're headed. I've been guilty of that in the past. It's not until you ask the question, that you know for sure.

In my friend's case, imagine how much progress might have been made if on Day One, the new CIO told the acquired I.T. department that it was their primary mission to identify ways to reduce I.T. costs of the combined companies, without sacrificing system performance or security.

Imagine the number of ideas that might have been generated by a joint session of the two companies' I.T. leadership? Initiatives could have been prioritized and assigned. It might have also been a huge opportunity to begin to evaluate the ideas and performance of the new staff.
Working relationships might have been forged. Everyone might have been allowed to contribute.

Instead, the acquiring company decided to forgo the opportunity and has built a new I.T. department, wherein a large number of folks now "check their brains at the door" and wait to be told what to do.

What a waste.