resource center
  See your link here
|
Computerworld -
American Family Insurance Group created a sort of internal venture fund with the goal of encouraging IT workers to explore solutions that are risky but have a significant potential payoff.
Like many IT organizations, the insurer works on a chargeback system, billing internal customers for projects. Enterprises have long found that while the chargeback system is generally effective, it can deaden innovation because IT workers feel pressured to grind away at routine billable projects.
American Family's response is intriguing. "Let's say we believe our internal client needs a technology that's risky," says developer Jeff Dekelver. The company has built into its central IT budget time and money for IT workers, regardless of title, to "investigate [the idea], create a proof-of-concept, test and come up with recommendations," he says.
The program is hardly a pie-in-the-sky sabbatical: Employees who make a proposal must sell it to both senior IT managers and the relevant business line. Many ideas are discarded, but some pay off in spades, such as an electronic application system that replaces paper forms for American Family agents. This system, once explored and adopted, "had a heavy positive impact," says Pete Frey, application technology manager. And it has subsequently been "purchased" from IT by several American Family divisions.
Chiquita selects Workday's fresh approach to Human Capital Management
A fresh approach to meet IT and HR objectives.
Usability Is Everything
Download this short video! Provided by Workday.
Supporting Employees Anytime, Anywhere
Download this White Paper Now!
The Value of Real SaaS at Workday
Download this short video! Provided by Workday
Natural User Interface for Enterprise Applications
Download this Complimentary White Paper! Provided by Workday.
SaaS at Flextronics, Inc.
Download this short Video! Provided by Workday.
A Truly Global HCM System
Download this Complimentary White Paper! Provided by Workday.
Key Strategies for Managing Data Growth
What are you storage challenges?
Craft a Strategy to Lower Your Total Cost of Ownership
Download this Complimentary White Paper! Provided by Workday.
Extending Client Refresh - 11 Steps to Maximize Savings
Register Now!
Sign up to receive updates on the latest Careers resources
CIO
Computerworld
CSO
DEMO
GamePro
Games.net
IDC
IDG
IDG Connect
IDG Knowledge Hub
IDG TechNetwork
IDG Ventures
IDG.net
InfoWorld
ITwhitepapers
ITworld
JavaWorld
LinuxWorld
Macworld
Network World
PC World
The Industry Standard
Copyright © 1994 - 2009 Computerworld Inc. All
rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium
without express written permission ofComputerworld Inc. is prohibited. Computerworld and Computerworld.com and the respective logos are trademarks of International Data Group Inc. |
