Discover the guiding principles of ITIL 4, with a focus on the co-creating value on the 52nd Episode of Ticket Volume, our IT podcast, where David Barrow explained how to enable IT teams to collaborate with suppliers and customers for value delivery. He gave practical tips for implementing these principles in your organization. Plus, a sneak peek into his new book on co-creating value in organizations with ITIL 4.
With 30 years of experience in IT across multiple industries, Barrow is a true authority in the field. He is recognized as an ITIL 4 Strategic Leader by BCS, The Chartered Institute for Information Technology, and holds the esteemed titles of Chartered IT Professional and Fellow. He has also contributed to VeriSM's Service Management for a Digital Age.
Throughout his career, David has held various roles, from Service Desk Analyst at IBM to Business Relationship Management and Service Delivery Management at Fidelity Cab Gemini and Rackspace. His consulting experience is vast, encompassing Design and Enterprise Service Management.
Make sure to tune in to the entire episode featuring Barrow, as he shares that value creation should be integrated extensively into organizations and their supply chain, highlighting the need for a holistic and collaborative approach. Don’t forget you can sign up for our monthly live recordings and directly ask any questions during the session.
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Reimagining the co-creation of value
Barrow discovered ITIL through his early experiences in the IT industry and working at IBM, which provided him with a valuable education in ITIL. He noted that while co-creating value was always an ideal in ITIL, it was often misunderstood and misapplied.
The history of Service Management is relatively short compared to other professions, and the IT industry is still relatively young. Therefore, there is much to learn about co-creating value. Service management is about treating customers as partners and co-creating value, shifting the focus from creating a digital product to delivering a service. This requires enabling and freeing leaders to facilitate co-creation by shifting their mindset.
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"The guiding principles shed light on the fact that nobody was trying to do a bad thing, but we were treating delighting customers in the same way we treated getting from one point to another. We acted as the experts, which we are, but we didn't truly understand the importance of doing with customers instead of doing to customers. It wasn't until those guiding principles made it abundantly clear that we grasped and took it on board." David Barrow |
Understanding stakeholders is crucial in co-creating value. Barrow suggested starting by asking stakeholders what value means to them and building on their responses. Visualizing stakeholders' values through a word cloud can help identify the culture of the organization.
Co-creating value also involves creating communities. Barrow shared his experience of identifying new stakeholders with similar beliefs by seeing others use their presentation with their logo. The idea behind it is that building communities leads to beneficial changes and different relationships during events. It is also paramount to identify and work with both impactors and influencers in an organization.
Barrow highlighted the alignment of Agile and ITSM principles in this philosophy. His book, "ITSM and Agile: How to co-create value," helps people pass exams, make sense of the ideal, and improve their projects. He invited people to join his communities and committees on LinkedIn.
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"The reason why I would recommend somebody look at the book is that I talk about the challenges that I've faced through personal stories. I share my experiences working with organizations and finding metrics that were telling a different story than intended. In one case, these metrics almost led to the disbanding of the whole team. The book also delves into the challenges of bringing people together." David Barrow |
Keys to connecting with everyone, even the skeptics
Barrow then dived into the exciting world of co-creating for all departments, from marketing to HR to finance and beyond. It's a holistic approach that involves engaging with different types of individuals within the organization.
Barrow introduced us to the "impactors" and the "influencers" - the key players in this game. The impactors are the big shots who hold significant sway in the organization. They own processes, teams, or budgets and have the power to make things happen. On the other hand, we've got the influencers. These are the folks who may not have the same level of authority, but they have a voice and can help create momentum or need a little convincing to jump on board with change initiatives.
But here's the thing, Barrow doesn't forget about the skeptics. He knows that engaging with them is crucial. They just don't agree or need some serious convincing. But Barrow sees the potential in them. He believes that their perspectives can actually provide valuable insights. It's like turning a skeptic into a valuable ally. For instance, they can address the challenges we face during change efforts and help us connect with those who need a little extra convincing.
The talk went on collaboration during high-stress scenarios. Those moments when everything seems to be falling apart - major incidents, escalations, failed changes, and deadlines looming over our heads. Surprisingly, Barrow believes that these stressful situations can actually bring people together. It's in these moments of chaos that building a community focused on co-created values becomes even more important. It helps shift our focus away from the stress and towards collaboration and the ability to create beneficial changes.
Bottom line
This is just a summary of Ticket Volume's episode featuring David Barrow. It is a conversation you won't want to miss if you're passionate about driving innovation, collaboration, and delivering exceptional value in your organization. Be sure to listen to the full discussion with Matt Beran to learn more about the co-creation of value.
You can find the full episode on popular platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or any other podcast platform you prefer. Remember to subscribe if you're interested in joining the monthly live recordings!
