The information technology industry is comprised of a multitude of proficiencies, and “ITKAN’s Chats” will attempt to reach as many as possible to bring insight to its members, thereby finding their niche and taking another step towards the fulfillment of their mission.
In our last ITKAN Chat, we spoke to Brendan Ginty at Sonicwall about the IT security industry. Continuing our focus on ITKAN supporters, we chat with Kathie Topel, the managing director of IMPACTinsights, part of SPR Companies.
Kathie has led seminars and executive workshops that have fundamentally changed the way organizations operate and improved their performance and results. She created the POWERSHIP®model and wrote a book of the same name, based on her experience as an expert in IT-business alignment.
Now she is putting her formidable skills and knowledge to work for Impact Insights and for the many companies she works with. Also, she recently led the inaugural meeting of the ITKAN Visionary Innovation Team!
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Hi Kathie, thanks for your time today. Can you tell us a little bit about IMPACTinsights and your book?
IMPACTinsights works with CIOs to ensure that IT is at the Heart of Business Success. We are IT Performance Consultants who build award-winning IT departments. The POWERSHIP® book is used in our implementations as the model to optimize performance which results in highly engaged employees and greater contributions to big business goals including revenue, profitability, innovation, customer acquisition, retention and satisfaction.
After reading about Impact Insights on your homepage, it seems that your company focuses on streamlining companies towards common goals. How often is corporate culture a roadblock towards streamlining a division and/or an organization?
Corporate Culture is frequently a roadblock for organizations. IMPACTinsights works to make sure that everyone from the front line to the top line realizes they have a role in leadership and that everyone is accountable for bottom line business results no matter what role they are in. We find that when individuals are engaged in their work and understand how their day to day role integrates with the strategic direction they can be upward of 40% more productive.
Part of ITKAN’s mission is to “Support the Aggressive Adoption of Deep Diversity”™”. Diversity is one of the hottest keywords in business today, and it goes hand in hand with corporate culture. What is your opinion on where people with disabilities fit here?
Individuals with disabilities can be such key contributors in the workplace of today. The way they view and understand concepts adds a dimension to the work place that can’t be overlooked. I frequently see them being extremely focused, very consistent, constantly driven and key participants of innovation.
One perception that we concentrate on from participants during ITKAN Chat is what do they think of the future of IT as a whole. What do you think, Kathie?
I see the role of IT in the future continuing to evolve at a much more aggressive pace than ever before. I believe you will see the role of IT across the board needing to be more strategic. The leadership of IT will need to be more like the leadership of an entrepreneurial company and understand as much of how bottom line value is generated as they will need to understand technical concepts.
Kathie, we appreciate your time for this interview and your contribution to ITKAN. Any final thoughts?
Professionals with disabilities have so much to offer within the space of technology. Keep up all of the great work in the area of Diversity and Inclusion. I look forward to supporting ITKAN in way possible.
Thanks, Kathie!