Only 20% of IT workers are consulted for tech-based decisions

Despite their namesake, information technology workers may play less of a role in critical tech-based decisions than they should. 

Only 20% of IT departments are consulted before making key decisions regarding digital innovations such as what kind of tech organizations are investing in and what it will be used for, according to a study by Google Chrome and software company ScreenCloud. When they are called upon, nearly half of IT departments are only involved when it's time to physically build out the systems that were already chosen, which could throw a wrench in organizations' efforts to implement more tech in their workflow. 

"It's not that [IT departments] are being left out of the conversations completely — it's just up to a certain point," says Jayne Liggett, chief customer officer at ScreenCloud. "They're typically brought in when it's time to go out and actually find suppliers, which is good because they're part of the process, but by waiting until then, organizations are running a significant risk." 

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A quarter of organizations surveyed reported persisting issues throughout the tech implementation process due to bringing IT departments in too late, the survey found. Of the challenges they faced, 25% noted a lack of security practices, 25% found it difficult to integrate it with other systems, 22% found it difficult to scale and 22% said it was difficult to manage remotely. This all results in an incredibly burned out tech department as they attempt a never-ending queue of problems — 56% of IT professionals say they can't even relax during their days off, according to LinkedIn. 

The good news, however, is that many of those problems, according to Liggett, can be avoided with early intervention from IT.  

"It's a critical need for IT, HR and internal communications teams to be aligned from the outset," she says. "Having conversations early means not only working out which integrations are crucial, but also whether they're technically possible or not. That knowledge alone would save everyone a lot of time further down the track." 

It's important for employers to understand that the role of IT departments is evolving and growing increasingly vital in the aftermath of the pandemic as hybrid workplaces become commonplace. 

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"In the more traditional view of IT, it was a much more insular department," she says. "Whereas now that department has the capability to really understand the evolving landscape around them and understand how all of these new and different channels of communication and technology are coming together." 

If they haven't already, Liggett urges leadership teams to reconsider their chains of command when it comes to technological innovation as soon as possible if they want to keep their progress smooth and efficient. IT has more than earned its place at the leadership table, emphasizes Liggett. 

"Technological advances are coming thick and fast — how things look today isn't going to be how things look in 12 or 24 months' time," she says. "The IT role is only going to get increasingly more important, and we need to be focused on the kind of skills we want to prioritize in the future."