Managing the many we’s of IT

Since leaving the jungle, humans have divided themselves into categories — a set of we’s. We 8.2 billion humans would be materially healthier, wealthier, happier, and safer if we could constructively and empathetically reconcile the hopes, dreams, and fears of the many we’s that make up our species.

Anthropologists and philosophers who study collective behavior embrace the premise that “we” has three foundational components: the individual (who am I?), the social (how do I want others to see me?), and the collective (who are we?). (George Akerlof and Rachel Kranton’s Identity Economics: How Our Identities Shape Our Work, Wages, and Well-Being is one such source.)

Before CIOs can understand IT in the collective (the “who are we?”), they must have a strong handle on their own personal identity. I have long argued that a critical piece of CIO success is autobiographical. CIOs need to be much more transparent. Your IT organization must know who you are — your values, what you care about, how much you care about it, and even your personality quirks.