Business Relationship Management (or 'BRM'), who cares?
What?! Who cares? How can we simply disregard such an important business capability in that manner? That’s controversial... isn’t it?
Well the point is, the BRMs are the people that care, but they've got a tricky job on their hands..
We don’t mean to upset any BRM’s reading this, so please don’t take it personally. Our intention is not to unsettle anyone, least of all, hard working and dedicated BRMs. Let’s be honest, if you’re a BRM and you are constantly working hard to fix failed relationships between IT and other business colleagues, then the job can suck.
We’ve witnessed those situations when an IT roll-out or new build has created more problems than it fixed. The new Windows (pick a version) that has been rolled out across the business technology estate and mandated for all business technology users. One day they’re using their older version quite happily and then the next day everything’s changed! Logging in; accessing the network; printing; storage; you name it, all those basic functions that business colleagues has got used to has now changed again! The crazy thing is no-one asked for the new version; and now the BRM is facing the wrath of unhappy business colleagues. The IT technical staff have finished their work, the mandate to update was given months ago. Too late to talk to the CIO about the decision now, but the reality is now yet another storm to settle down.
If you are a BRM facing this mediator type of scenario day after day and you probably also find that you have little, to almost, no authority to change the status quo and yet there you are, constantly trying to establish the peace between two sides that are in continuous battle. It’s a poor job and no one will thank you for finding that illusive peaceful outcome anyway; sorry, but that’s just how it is. You know it; we know it; it’s a poor situation.
So actually, is the title not that controversial after all? Perhaps not.
The Windows Update scenario and description in the previous section is probably familiar with many operational business relationship managers (albeit sometimes cant be avoided). Those BRMs who have been appointed within the back-drop of a failing IT Service Management capability. The back drop where the relationship between Business and IT has become a Them v Us battleground.
If you are the CIO leading an IT organisation where the relationship between IT and Business is somewhat difficult, employing BRMs in a purely operational capacity to rebuild relationships will not solve your actual problem! It’s like putting a bandaid over a bleeding artery. It just won’t work. You will think you’re doing the right thing. You’ll announce a grand new relationship initiative with your business colleagues and then you’ll inevitably shut the whole thing down later with a lot of egg on your face when you’ve still got unhappy business colleagues and you still haven’t shown any real business value.
There’s BRM and then there’s BRM. What??!! Yes, there’s good BRM and then there’s pointless BRM and the critical difference is your leadership as a CIO and how you approach the relationship between IT and your business colleagues.
What makes BRM work is you!! You, as CIO, are the primary BRM in your organisation. How you behave and conduct yourself with your IT staff and your business colleagues sets the tone for the relationship between IT and the rest of your business colleagues.
For example, let’s consider language. How do you refer to your business colleagues? Customers? Users? The Business? Be honest with yourself as you mentally consider that answer. Do you consider IT as somehow different from your business colleagues? Do you think about your business colleagues as colleagues working towards the same strategic endeavours or are they customers that give the IT department continuous demand and requirements? There’s a big difference in these two positions, and that difference is like night and day. The latter is very operational and positions IT as an order taker at best, whereas the former is far more strategic and adopts a position of shared vision, action and collaboration working towards solving strategic business problems with your business colleagues.
When BRM is considered as an operational capability it could easily fail. However, when BRM is undertaken strategically and BRM’s are given strategic remit, sufficient authority and the rest of IT also behaves strategically, then the BRM capability can provide significant business value.
A great BRM capability will position the BRMs as (kind of) junior CIOs. In fact, it’s amazing how many strategic BRMs have taken the route of CIO as they advance their career.
Throughout our time working closely with our customers, we’ve seen both the good and the bad, and we’re pleased to say we’ve had a hand in many of those good examples, but ultimately, what makes a good BRM capability good, is the CIO, and the organisational appetite to focus on those all important two buzz words... Business Value (more on that to come soon!)
Comments