How Business and IT Simply Collaborate Better

When employees bypass official channels, such as ticketing portals, and instead resort to shortcuts via familiar IT contacts (“Hey Joe”) or power users, it is not a sign of agility, but rather a symptom of deeper collaboration issues between IT and the business. Informal, unstructured setups lead to workarounds and result in undocumented, inefficient communication. The price is high: research and our project experience show that employee productivity in affected organisations drops by up to 20 per cent, heavily stalling IT processes. Furthermore, fewer than 30 per cent of companies actively manage the execution of their IT strategy through collaborative efforts between IT and business units. This leads to significantly lower target achievement (20 to 30 per cent) and a substantial waste of the IT budget.

Yet, one specific phrase has been part of corporate etiquette in boardrooms for decades: “We must better align IT and the business.” What is logged as an intent in strategy papers turns out to be a grueling daily struggle over timelines, budgets, demands, and responsibilities. And one side alone is never to blame for poor collaboration. Our assessment: in many organisations, the partnership of IT and business units is simply not up to the demands of a dynamic business environment.

Business IT Collaboration: What is the Problem?

The lack of cooperation between IT and business units is almost always rooted in an unclear identity of the IT organisation. Before top managers can establish a resilient collaboration model, they must make a fundamental decision regarding strategic orientation: does IT act merely as a passive executioner, or does it operate as a proactive driver of innovation? Without a clear understanding of roles and an uncompromising commitment from management, even well-meaning committees like digitalisation forums remain toothless tigers (click here for an article on the successful positioning of the IT organisation).

How can this avoidable dysfunction be eliminated? A successful collaboration model requires more than just repeatedly demanding "better communication". What is needed is a structured framework with clear roles and responsibilities (rather than just relying on specific individuals) across the entire lifecycle of IT projects and IT services. This applies equally to both the business and IT sides.

Roles and Responsibilities for Collaboration

The introduction of such a model is an iterative process that harmonises the requirements, expectations, and goals of both partners in joint workshops. Significant improvements in workflows and productivity can only be achieved if clear contact points are defined on both sides for each phase and requirements are structured. Despite often good intentions, however, the basic prerequisites are rarely met: in many cases, collaboration fails simply because the necessary roles are almost never fully developed and put into practice. There are either major gaps in definition, or individual people are named instead of clearly defined roles. As a result, effective collaboration between business and IT ends before it has even properly begun. 

And there are further obstacles: many companies fail to invest adequately in platforms or formats that facilitate an interdisciplinary exchange of information and ideas—the necessary breathing room for genuine communication. Consequently, employees lack the opportunity to exchange views with colleagues from other business units or IT without political blinkers. This insufficient communication culture not only stifles innovation but also prevents a mutual understanding of each side's respective challenges and pain points. This, in turn, reinforces silo structures.

Levers for a Powerful Alignment Model

• Clear Division of Roles: Business units define the requirement; IT steers the targeted technical implementation.
• Structured Committees: Established and proven platforms for interdisciplinary exchange are put in place to prevent informal, ad-hoc requests.
• Management Commitment: Active enforcement of processes and objectives by leadership is a prerequisite for successful collaboration.
• Continuous Validation: Roles must be regularly reviewed and flexibly adapted to current business requirements.

Alignment issues between IT and the business are part of daily corporate life. However, those who ignore them for years pay a heavy price. Collaboration between business and IT is neither an end in itself nor a pious wish; it is the very foundation upon which innovation speed and cost control can function simultaneously. Companies that fail to invest in an effective exchange between IT and business units today will lose momentum, become inefficient, and fall behind the competition.

If you have any questions regarding IT strategy and business IT collaboration, or if you are interested in a complimentary evaluation of the Metrics High-Performance IT Study 2025, simply drop me a email.