Align this! Has IT strayed that far from the business?

Here’s an observation that’s too good to pass up:

From David Foster, responding to a post on Nick Carr’s blog.

On a seminar entitled "Aligning IT with the Business:"

"Isn’t it a bit strange that there is still a need for this kind of thing? There have been IT organizations in American business for fifty years now. No one sends out seminar invitations for ‘aligning manufacturing with the business’ or ‘aligning sales with the business’ or ‘aligning logistics with the business.’ Clearly, there are a lot of businesspeople who believe that IT marches to a drummer other than the best overall interests of the corporation."

There’s a huge consulting-analyst-industrial complex that makes megabucks off of promises to finally "align" IT and business. Yet, it’s fair to say that IT folks are the brightest people in the organization, and know very well who’s signing their paychecks.

Maybe it’s time to put all this ‘alignment’ talk to rest — or better yet, let’s start a movement to start ‘aligning’ CEOs and boards with the business. (We’ll have plenty of work cut out for us…)