CIO Straight Talk - Issue 7 - 19

19

REMAKING TECHNOLOGY TEAMS'
TRADITIONAL CULTURE
To embrace this customer-focused role, technology

We need to adopt the digital
disrupter mindset and embrace

teams need to find new ways of working-to change the

that kind of culture - high levels of

traditional technology culture.

collaboration, few boundaries, and a

We need to adopt the digital disrupter mindset.
That's what differentiates a start-up organization from

deep fixation on what matters most

a traditional company, and it's important to embrace

to customers.

that kind of culture here-one with high levels of
collaboration, few boundaries, and a deep fixation
around understanding what matters most to customers.
For example, we schedule regular "Hack Days" in

A company culture can't be reinvented overnight. It is
the sum of many small things that are hard to quantify

which our colleagues get to take 24 hours off from

but come together to shape the culture. This means

their regular work to focus on developing ideas that

that we strive for iterative, systemic change. While

will resonate with our customers. Our first mobile app

not as dramatic as some big mandate about how we'll

was the product of one of those Hack Days. That whole

immediately change the way we think and work, this kind

idea was developed in a day. We've had some 50 ideas

of change is more sustainable because it comes about

developed through that process that have worked their

gradually and steadily.

way into production.
We also have embraced "agile development"-building

When it comes to having a meaningful impact on the
customer experience, it's not about introducing some

products and services in a rapid and responsive way

new technology or implementing a specific project. It's

and improving them with new iterations over time. But

about creating a new culture and transforming the way

approaches like these work well only if you have the right

the organization works.

cultural foundation and the right level of obsession with
the customer.

When you're a start-up, you're blessed with a blank
sheet of paper from which to create that kind of culture.

We started with the basics. We got rid of time sheets.

But at an established financial services business like

We rebuilt our physical headquarters as an activity-based

ours, we start with a legacy culture that needs to be

workplace, literally tearing down the walls between

transformed. It is much tougher to adapt with what you

functions and departments and individuals. We looked

have. That's why, frankly, this work never ends. It's a

for different profiles in our leaders and managers. We

relentless journey.

reexamined how we recognized and rewarded our
professionals to make sure we were encouraging not just
traditional technical skills but also the kinds of cultural
changes we wanted to make.
In our Enterprise area, for example, people used to be
recognized and rewarded based on typical service levels,
such as system uptime or on-time delivery of a project.
Now our technology professionals are rewarded based
on business outcomes, such as the value we deliver
to the customer.
We also focus on simplifying our work environment.
Financial services organizations are complex. So we
encourage our technology colleagues to focus on what

HotWired is the first web site to sell banner ads in
large quantities to a wide range of major corporate
advertisers.

1995

1994

they can do to simplify what we have.

The Pew Research Center finds that 14% of U.S.
adults are now online; 42% of U.S. adults have
never heard of the Internet.
CIO Straight Talk - Issue 7

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CIO Straight Talk - Issue 7
