I'm not a big fan of infographics. My biggest angst with infographics is that they have accessibility issues due to having so much content in the form of text embedded within the graphic (unreadable to most browsers used by the visually impaired). However, CMS Report recently received this infographic by a representative of BMC Software that shares a concern of mine. The concern is that lately it appears that the relationship between IT users and their IT department has become frustrating. Where IT once was considered helpful, IT is often now viewed from the user perspective as a roadblock for how they would like to utilize information technology.
The attached infographic (click on the image to enlarge) details a few key points about "IT Friction", the friction that exists between IT and employee. The infographic is based on research and analysis conducted by Forrester Research. In the Forrester Research report titled "Exploring Business and IT Friction: Myths and Realities," it was found that an astonishing 86% of the end-users lost an average of 18 work hours a month because of IT issues. While the debate over IT Friction has yet to be solved, the disconnect between IT and those they service is a topic that almost everyone has an opinion on. BMC has an interesting blog post detailing the study and reaction to IT issues by end users on social media. We all of course also recognize the increased conflict between IT and users over BYOD policies and sometimes even the lack of BYOD policies.
I've shared this infographic because I think the contents of the graphic can serve as a great way for both IT and IT users to reflect on how to improve their business relationship with another. More importantly, the graphic itself includes some suggestions for how both IT and employees can improve the status quo.
I would also suggest that sometimes IT friction has nothing to do with decisions made by the IT department or the IT user. Sometimes, IT friction is caused by company policy or company executives dictating how both user and IT staff are to conduct their business. Too many times, I've seen IT not meet the users' expectations because they are constrained by bad company policy or poor leadership and decision making from the top. If a company has not empowered the IT staff to better meet the needs of users, there are likely a bigger issues than IT satisfaction needing to be addressed before IT services can improve. Non-IT executives, you too have a role in reducing IT friction in your company, a role that isn't displayed well in this graphic.