Beyond Numbers

By Jodi Mardesich

In many companies, CIOs are still struggling to gain respect in the boardroom and among C-level peers. In too many organizations, the CIO reports to the CFO because IT is seen as a cost center rather than a strategic tool that gives an enterprise an edge over its competition. True, CIOs are becoming more agile by gathering the right data and using analytical tools to justify project plans or budget increases. But communicating the value of that data is still a challenge. When facing opposition to projects and ideas from members of the boardroom, CIOs can use a simple tool to communicate the value of their ideas to peers: presenting a solution as a story in narrative form.

According to Harvard professor Howard Gardner, author of Changing Minds: The Art and Science of Changing Our Own and Other People's Minds, telling stories complete with a protagonist, conflict, and resolution is an effective way of changing minds in organizations.

"Of all the means that human beings have to communicate messages of some complexity, stories are the most universal," Gardner says. "Stories enlist both cognitive and emotional processes. They engage the listener or reader through identification with the protagonist and his or her goals."

To win support for their initiatives from C-level peers, CIOs may need to go beyond showing financial benefits. It's not always enough to show how a new email security strategy will save the company money; it's also important to show how it will protect the company's assets.

For example, laying out a scenario involving a protagonist (the company) and antagonists (hackers trying to use the company's email system to relay spam, for instance), CIOs can then show two possible outcomes. Without proper staff to install and maintain email security, the company could face performance degradation, lost productivity, or, worse, have its email blocked by customers and others who see the company as a spammer. On the other hand, having a budget to train staff to secure the email servers and educate employees to identify potential zombie intrusions can cost less than cleaning up the damage later.

Going beyond data
Collecting the right data is immensely important. For some CEOs and CFOs, persuasive data about IT projects can be enough to win them over to the CIO's side. For peers who are more difficult to convince, CIOs can go beyond charts and numbers and actually use data as a building block in a persuasive narrative. In addition, CIOs should also tailor their arguments to their audiences by doing the following: 

• Use data as narrative building blocks  Think of data as a building block. Data can be numerical; it can also be culled from real world events or studies -- such as examples of what other companies have attempted that did or didn't work. However, be careful not to get bogged down in data, Gardner says. "CIOs need all of the data that they can get. However, a story has to be simple, clear, and memorable. The most effective leaders synthesize the data and refashion it in a form that is easy to understand and digest."
• Know your audience  When attempting to gain support from a peer for an initiative, the CIO should learn as much as possible about that peer. Effective communication depends on speaking their language -- using language they understand. Smart CIOs will attempt to put themselves in the peer's shoes. What are their priorities? What are their objectives? Then, tailor the argument to that individual. "The more that you listen to others, and the more deeply you listen to others, the better a communicator you will be," Gardner says. "If you are not a good listener, or you think you know it all, you need help!"

Time it right
It makes sense to try telling a story to win support for an initiative whenever numbers and charts aren't persuasive enough. Three areas where numbers alone can be confusing to non-technical peers include compliance, storage systems, and security:

• Compliance  Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, put in place as a control against corporate fraud, involves the generation and storage of financial reports. The data in those reports must be verified and traced. Even changes to software used to generate the reports must be documented. The stakes are high, including fines in the millions of dollars, or even prison time. Other types of compliance have stringent requirements as well. To convince the CEO or board of the necessity of such initiatives, Gardner suggests going beyond the specter of fines and prison time by making the story personal. "There are lots of stories in the news now about what happens to people who try to get away with non-compliance, but I would also suggest a more positive story -- what happens to your mother if she has invested heavily in a company that turns out to have an illegitimate board and that goes belly-up, like Enron," Gardner says. "There are good reasons for laws like Sarbanes-Oxley. They are not just punitive."
• Storage systems  Storage needs are growing, especially in the age of compliance. Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, and other regulatory requirements call for more data to be stored and for any changes to be tracked. Raw numbers might glaze the eyes of C-level peers, but explaining which data needs to be archived -- and why -- can help the CIO gain support and credibility.
• Security   Breaches can be tabulated and presented in charts, but boardroom peers need a narrative that describes this ongoing battle better. CIOs can narrate an actual event, such as detailing IT personnel's efforts to deal with a breach, and how the time to repair the damage diverted resources from other important IT responsibilities.

Stories can be polarizing, however. In defining a conflict, a story often creates an "us vs. them" scenario. Such stories often work well, especially in the short term, but Gardner suggests creating stories of inclusion, as opposed to exclusion.

"It is fine to recognize that you have opponents, but you should realize that one day you may need them or need to work with them," Gardner says. "In short, be inclusionary whenever possible; in the long run, you will gain by this stance."

The most effective stories are ones that the leader believes in, that reflect his or her own life experiences, and that include the listeners or readers, Gardner says. By learning to communicate better through narratives, CIOs can elevate IT's status and role.

Jodi Mardesich writes about business and technology. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Fortune, San Jose Mercury News, The Advocate, Salon, Slate, and Yoga Journal.