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goodwill with that group much further. This is because success in IT is going to come down to who can best meet broader goals that require cooperation from both the technical and non-technical team members.

I use team member because that is the critical difference. Until now, most places have viewed IT and non-IT as independent groups, even as different kingdoms of employees. Business groups have sought ways to constrain the IT cost center just as efforts are made to minimize waste in manufacturing. The goal is even regularly stated as keeping IT costs below a specified level. IT groups have sought to prevent interference and meddling from business groups while struggling to maintain some measure of change management.

Both viewpoints miss the idea of synergy. Most MBA programs cover a wide variety of topics and, in a capstone course if not before, force groups with different viewpoints and skillsets to work together to solve problems. This is the greatest benefit of an MBA for obtaining success in IT. Those that truly grasp how to combine these differences to reach a mutual goal and who can scale it up to the much larger IT departments and corporate environments that need the most help will also be the individuals who are the most successful.

In short, an MBA is an excellent - but not only way - to reach IT success. It is a route that has only been taken by a select few exceptional individuals, but it will also prove to be a route than many future success stories will follow as the Information Age continues. The increasing use of technology in everything, leading to a Smarter Planet as IBM is using, will open up the opportunities for those willing to take this route.

Learn more about this author, Jack Thornton.
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