Harnessing technology isn't good enough any more. IT departments need to move beyond reliable but basic support for a company and into business leadership roles by creating competitive advantage. IT departments must be a fulcrum upon which a company can gain leverage in the marketplace.

One reason for this shift is the growth of Big Data in which data mining, personalization, and segmentation of customer demographics and behaviors can drive consumer-company relationships. This puts IT at the heart of identifying and creating possibilities for the company. That, in turn, requires top-tier, cross-functional teams that know and understand the company, the industry and the competition.

Likewise, this calls for an IT leader who plays both a deeper and broader role within the company. Some will say that CIO no longer stands for just chief information officer, but perhaps also chief innovation officer, chief imagination officer or chief integration officer. The goal of the new CIO is to raise the performance of company employees and enhance the strategic position of the company.

Of course, IT departments also must face such basic changes as the growth of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offerings in the cloud. This is pushing IT toward being more of a commodity and a procurement option. In such an environment, IT departments run the risk of losing drive and relevance. Departments that drift into complacency or inefficiency will find that the old pieces don't fit together as well any more. SaaS offerings will require reorganization and rationalization of IT departments under new expectations.

Both experience and research have shown that only 5 percent of IT officers are prepared for this new role. But there are things every IT department and company can do to move in this direction.

• Create department and project transparency so that IT projects can obtain and retain upper management support and gain success through ongoing user involvement.
  
• Build teams that excel in both business understanding and technical knowledge. Research has shown that in any industry or endeavor, the top 10 percent produce as much as the other 90 percent combined. 
  
• Develop leaders who empower rather than control, lead rather than manage, who create integrated visions, are collaborative, are knowledgeable and are both trusting and trustworthy. 
  
• Establish the habit and policy of treating team members fairly rather than equally.  
  
• Adopt agile planning and execution strategies with adequate up-front planning to create clear, complete and compelling projects that don't rely on rigid processes to succeed.
  

Successful IT departments in the new business and technology environment that is growing today will leave behind the days of insular, rigid departments and become instigators of change who solve problems while being prepared for the next set of problems. And they will expand their function within companies to include essential, collaborative roles in creating competitive advantages in the marketplace.