fruITion: Creating the Ultimate Corporate Strategy for Information Technology [Perfect Paperback]

Chris Potts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 12, 2008

Ian is a Chief Information Officer (CIO) who is about to go on a journey of change - whether he likes it or not.  He will be expected to explore, challenge and radically recast the complex, often hostile relationships that can exist between a business and the people in its Information Technology (IT) department.  On the way, Ian, his Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and other key stakeholders, experience a transformation in how a business needs to think about the value of its IT people and the work that they do. This results in some truly groundbreaking innovations in the scope and contribution of Ian's role as CIO, the people that work for him and the strategy that he leads.

Watch the characters in this extraordinary business novel as they meet the challenge, struggle and grow. Share in Ian's transformation, and join the author in observing key messages as the adventure unfolds.

Part entertaining novel and part enlightening textbook - FruITion takes the reader through a discovery process revealing indispensable messages about the next generation of strategies for Information Technology.
- Jeremy Hall, Managing Director, IRM UK Strategic IT Training

FruITion brings vividly to life the issues of being a CIO in today's corporate world and how IT, when properly integrated into the objectives of a business can drive massive value creation. His insights into how to win the engagement war and bring technology strategies alive for the non technical are absolutely spot on.
- Steve Adams, COO and Managing Director for Card Services, Euronet Worldwide

The modern CIO is to be seen as part of the business rather than a service provider to the business. Chris Potts is at the forefront of thinking that will put us all there if we act on his inspiration.
- David Brown, CIO of Scottish Water

More from the author, Chris Potts
The debate over the CIO role, and about the extent to which it should be about business or technology, is taking place in an increasing vacuum of strategic context.  Some CIOs have abandoned strategy altogether, while others persevere with a traditional IT Strategy founded in the mindset of the mainframe era.  Meanwhile, business managers and staff continue to develop their knowledge of technology and understanding of how to exploit it.  There seems to be a presumption that the next-generation strategic purpose of the CIO will be an incremental step on from what has gone before - significant, maybe, but still incremental.  What if the CIO's new strategic context is not incremental but disruptive, requiring a very different mindset and skillset?  And, most crucially, what if the corporate strategists - rather than the CIO community - are the ones deciding what context is?   Their offer to the CIO:  you can become one of the corporate strategists like us, but not with your traditional scope and approach to strategy.  What does that offer look like and what does it mean for incumbent CIOs and the people who work for them?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Chris Potts works with executives and CIOs in industry-leading companies around the world, formulating and executing the new generation of corporate strategies for exploiting IT. He delivers public seminars that are founded on his own breakthrough work with clients, and has provided training to some of the worlds leading consultancies.

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Technics Publications, LLC; 1st edition (February 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977140032
• ISBN-13: 978-0977140039
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.5 x 5.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #895,364 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Chris is a hands-on corporate strategist, who specialises in investing in change and exploiting IT.

His first book, fruITion, is a business novel that explores the question of what happens when coroprate strategists - rather than IT specialists - take over the strategic IT agenda and use it in ways that the IT people never intended, and probably never imagined. It stars, and is narrated by Ian, a Chief Information Officer (CIO) who discovers the answer.

In his years working with company executives and their IT specialists, Chris has frequently noticed how they seem to be pursuing two different strategies for IT. The IT people's strategy is usually written down and treated as the 'official' one, while the executives' alternative strategy - and the one that usually wins - is evident from the way they act towards IT.

In fruITion, the company executives turn this on its head. How about making their strategy for IT the one that is written down and official?

As well as being a hands-on strategist and writer, Chris is also an award-winning speaker at conferences and seminars.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book On Strategy That's A Real Page-Turner August 1, 2008

By M. S. Farrar

Format:Perfect Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Let me start by saying that I had the pleasure and privilege of working directly with Chris at the last company I worked for.

The work that Chris undertook with my colleagues and me was ground-breaking, and even though it turned our world upside down, for all of the right reasons, it was an enjoyable and illuminating journey.

This book, which is an inspired piece of writing, bears absolutely no resemblance to any other book on strategy, IT or otherwise, that I have read. Most of these books are long, dry and, I have to say, almost unintelligible. FruITion, on the other hand, is an easy read - maybe even too easy, as the narrative style reads more like a good novel than a serious business book. And, of course, this was the intention, and it succeeds beautifully.

It would be easy to miss the important lessons this book teaches you, were it not for the fact that Chris summarises the key points at the end of each chapter.

I would therefore recommend reading it at least twice - once for the pleasure of a well-written book with a central character you really do care about, and once (or more) to make sure you take note of the real messages, which are all about realising the value of a company's investments, not only in IT but in all business change activities.

Having worked in that corporate environment for nearly 20 years, many of the characters and roles were too life-like for this book to be anything but the results of a great deal of experience and first-hand knowledge. In fact, I even sort of recognise people like me in there somewhere, as well as some that remind me of past colleagues, managers and directors, although it's clear that Chris has wisely invented his characters after working with so many people over the years.

When we worked together, it was back in 2000, and while this book neatly summarises much of what he brought to the company at the time, it also demonstrates a continual advancement in thinking as his already significant experience has grown.

I can testify that those elements of this book that were put in place as a result of his work altered and improved everything - what started as a reinvention of a very small team of people ended up affecting almost the entire company and the way they conducted and thought about their business.

It may be a cliché, but I really do wish this book had been available not only to me, but to many people at the company, all those years ago.

For those steeped in the traditions of the "IT department", this book will both shock and surprise you - the core message represents a quantum leap in thinking that will make you wonder why you haven't thought of it yourself.

And for those "normal" people who have always been outside of IT, and wondered what they all do, this book will be an eye-opener and a revelation in how to make IT work with and for you in your organisation.

This is one book that you really won't want to put down, and it has my highest recommendation!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Kindle Version Issues December 7, 2010

By R. Zoller

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

The observations page at the end of each chapter, a critical part of the book, is unreadable since it is formatted as a picture. The right third is cut off. This is also true when trying to read it on an iPod touch. I've requested the publisher please correct but keep this in mind before you purchase this as a Kindle book. It is readable on the PC and Mac version of the Kindle reader. UPDATE: The publisher has notified me that the update for the Kindle edition is expected by March. It's a great book - you need the observations, however to fully enjoy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The future of IT April 13, 2011

By J. R. Cinca

Format:Perfect Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Easy and quick to read with some big ideas about how to do IT in the future or, more precisely, how to not do IT but just do business and manage IT as any other component that do not require an independent team with independent metrics and organization.