Harvard Business Review

JULY 16, 2014

In too many companies, IT leaders, relegated to their cost centers, are subordinate to other C-level executives. As a consequence, CIOs work on go-to-market strategies as well as on acquiring and retaining new customers. To borrow a computer-science term, the denotational semantics are all wrong.

CIO 8

CIO Information Technology Forrester Technology 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 13, 2012

An impatient marketing or finance manager would, on the sly, secure some extra budget money and hire a contractor to build a little database that tracked mailing addresses or top-line financials. Slowly but surely, as the little database grew bigger and bigger, the manager would wedge the cost into her operating budget.

Supply Chain 15

Supply Chain CIO Budgeting Project 15

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 12, 2011

But surveys show that more than 25% of firms still think of IT as a cost center, 53% of CIOs' time is focused on cost control, and 54% of companies outsource their IT services. It's easy to fall into the Kodak trap, especially in austere times when there's almost overwhelming pressure to cut costs.

CIO 8

CIO Outsourcing Cost Center Film 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 2, 2011

We manage the measurable, rather than the things that create meaning that fuels creativity, that enables innovative thinking and that helps any company to outpace the market. We tag performance as the quantitatively focused work of what we can design, market, measure, track, bill, and monetize. Maybe yes, maybe no.

Hamel 15

Hamel Customer Loyalty Creativity Cost Center 15

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 9, 2011

We call these people Cost Center Consumers, and they come in two flavors. Divas: These are high maintenance consumers who drive costs up after purchase. They tie up your call centers, incur costly returns, and generate other costs that occur below the gross margin line, which is harder to see.

P&L 14

P&L Supply Chain Retail Price 14

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 22, 2012

While social stuff is often associated with marketing or customer service, social can affect every part of the business model , including how we organize. As the definition of and market for the latest thinking evolves, SU is in a unique position to fluidly respond. Isn't This Just Another Way To Cut Costs? Is that scary?

Participative 14

Participative Decentralization Globalization Cost Center 14

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 4, 2012

For example, many brands that have made unsuccessful and unprofitable attempts to market to Hispanic consumers using inauthentic tactics have now decided to lump Hispanics into what they call " total market " strategies. Think profit center, not cost center. Elevate the influence of Hispanics.

Policies 8

Policies Short-term Education Diversity 8

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 14, 2015

Patients have many reasons for not taking their medications, including lack of understanding of the treatment, misperceptions about asymptomatic conditions, cultural beliefs, drug costs, therapy complexity, and cognitive and logistical challenges. In a widely publicized effort, we stopped selling cigarettes at CVS retail pharmacies in 2014.

System 8

System Health Care Retail Cost 8

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 16, 2015

If a close competitor is doing a similar deal, for example, or others in the industry are aligned with the strategy or direction, it will help Top Dogs bring shareholders on board. CSO, CFO, CIO, IT, Ops (Practice Leaders): Typically, these decision makers run cost centers as opposed to generating revenue.

P&L 8

P&L Due Diligence CIO COO 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 6, 2016

As marketing continues to shift and improve, we’ve come to rely on IT to provide expertise on current technology and, perhaps more importantly, to provide a road map that shows where technology will lead, where integration is critical, and how to make the best use of increasingly sophisticated tools. This means being more strategic.

Marketing 8

Marketing Banking Technology System 8