The Evolution of IT Roles: From Business Partners to Silos and How to Reunite

The evolution of IT roles has transformed how businesses and technology interact, but not always for the better. What began in the 1970s with IT professionals embedded directly within business teams has shifted into a world of silos, layers, and complex role hierarchies. While this specialisation aimed to handle the growing complexity of modern systems, it has also introduced inefficiencies, miscommunication, and accountability gaps.

In this post, we’ll explore how IT roles have evolved, where today’s approaches fall short, and what can be done to create a more seamless and effective collaboration between business and technology in our increasingly complex world.

Historical Overview: IT in the 1970s and Beyond

The 1970s: The Embedded IT Professional

In the early days of IT, technology was tightly integrated with business operations. IT professionals, often referred to as “data processors” or “computer operators,” were typically embedded within business teams. Their role was straightforward: to understand business requirements and implement solutions directly, often using early mainframe computers.

This close proximity meant that IT professionals worked closely with the problem owners—those in the business who identified and articulated the need for technological solutions. Feedback loops were short, and the IT person could quickly adapt the solution based on direct input.

However, this simplicity came with limitations. IT systems were relatively primitive, and the scope of problems they could address was narrow. Scalability was another challenge—one IT person could only manage so much. As businesses grew and technology became more advanced, this model began to strain under the weight of increasing demands.

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The 1980s and 1990s: Centralized IT Departments and Specialized Teams

The rise of mainframes in the 1980s marked a shift toward centralized IT departments. Rather than embedding IT professionals within business teams, companies created dedicated IT units responsible for all technology-related needs. This centralization brought some benefits, such as more standardized processes and better control over IT resources, but it also created a physical and organizational divide between IT and business.

By the 1990s, the client-server revolution and the emergence of personal computers further expanded the scope of IT. Businesses demanded faster solutions, and IT departments began to specialize. Roles such as system administrators, network engineers, and database managers became commonplace.

This specialization enabled companies to handle increasingly complex systems, but it also introduced new challenges. Communication between business and IT became more formalized, often relying on intermediaries like business analysts or project managers. The direct connection between problem owners and IT implementers began to weaken, leading to potential misunderstandings and slower response times.

The 2000s: Agile, DevOps, and Cross-Functional Teams

The 2000s brought a push to bridge the gap between business and IT with methodologies like Agile and frameworks like Scrum. These approaches aimed to create cross-functional teams that included both business and IT stakeholders, enabling better collaboration and faster delivery of solutions. The focus shifted from rigid, long-term planning to iterative development and continuous feedback.

At the same time, the concept of DevOps emerged, breaking down silos between development and operations teams. This further enhanced the ability to deliver software quickly and reliably, but it required additional roles such as product owners, Scrum Masters, and DevOps engineers.

While these methods improved collaboration in theory, their implementation was often uneven. Many organizations adopted the frameworks without fully embracing the cultural and structural changes needed to make them work. As a result, inefficiencies and misalignment persisted.

Today: A Fragmented Landscape of Roles and Responsibilities

In the modern era, IT has become a cornerstone of nearly every business. The complexity of technology has driven further specialization, with roles like UX designers, cloud architects, data scientists, and security engineers now part of the landscape.

Organizations often adopt “one IT” models or partner with external IT service providers, creating additional layers of separation between business needs and technical implementation. While this model enables scalability and access to specialized expertise, it also amplifies some of the historical challenges:

• The proliferation of roles has diluted accountability.
• Communication silos have grown, making it harder to align on priorities.
• Long feedback loops have returned in some contexts, despite agile aspirations.

In many cases, the connection between the problem (business) and the solution (IT) feels more strained than ever.

This historical evolution highlights a recurring tension: the need for specialisation versus the need for integration. As we look at today’s challenges, understanding this history can help us reimagine how business and IT should work together in the future.

The Present: Complex Roles and Persistent Challenges

The Proliferation of IT Roles

Today’s IT landscape is more specialized and fragmented than ever. As technology has advanced, organizations have created an array of highly specialized roles to handle specific functions. Roles like data scientists, cloud architects, UX designers, DevOps engineers, and security analysts now populate IT teams, each focusing on a narrow slice of the overall system.

While this specialization enables organizations to leverage cutting-edge technology and tackle complex challenges, it has also created silos within IT itself. Each role often comes with its own tools, processes, and priorities, making collaboration a constant challenge.

At the same time, the business side has developed its own set of specialized roles, such as business analysts, product owners, and project managers, to bridge the gap between business needs and technical implementation. This results in a chain of intermediaries that stretches from the problem owner to the solution implementer.

The Disconnect Between Business and IT

The gap between business and IT has widened in many organizations. Often, business teams articulate their requirements at a high level and pass them down a chain of roles, losing context and nuance along the way. By the time the developer or engineer begins working on the solution, they may have only a partial understanding of the underlying problem.

This disconnect is exacerbated by:

• Formalized communication channels: Business requirements are often documented in lengthy specifications or Jira tickets, leaving little room for direct conversations.
• Competing priorities: IT teams are frequently overloaded with work, forcing them to prioritize technical tasks over understanding the business context.
• Misaligned incentives: Business teams focus on outcomes like revenue and customer satisfaction, while IT teams are measured on metrics like uptime and delivery speed, leading to conflicting goals.

The result is a lack of shared accountability. Business teams may feel that IT fails to deliver value, while IT teams perceive business requirements as vague or unrealistic.

Challenges in Scalability and Coordination

In large organizations, the separation between business and IT is further amplified by scale. Global operations often require IT functions to be centralized or outsourced, adding even more layers of communication and bureaucracy. While this model allows for economies of scale, it can also slow down decision-making and dilute the connection between problem owners and solution implementers.

Agile and DevOps have attempted to address these issues by emphasizing collaboration and iterative delivery. However, in practice, many organizations struggle to implement these approaches effectively. Common issues include:

• Agile teams working in silos, disconnected from the broader business strategy.
• Product owners acting as bottlenecks, overwhelmed by the volume of decisions they need to make.
• DevOps initiatives focusing more on tools and automation than on fostering true collaboration between development and operations.

The Human Cost of Complexity

The increasing complexity of roles and processes has a human impact as well. Developers and engineers often feel frustrated by a lack of clarity in requirements or by frequent changes in priorities. Business teams may grow disillusioned with IT’s perceived inability to deliver solutions that meet their needs.

Moreover, the proliferation of roles can lead to a “too many cooks” situation, where responsibilities overlap and accountability becomes unclear. This not only wastes time and resources but also creates friction between teams.

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Where We Stand Today

Despite the progress in tools, frameworks, and methodologies, many organizations find themselves stuck in a cycle of inefficiency. The direct connection between those who identify problems (business) and those who solve them (IT) has eroded over time, replaced by a labyrinth of roles and processes.

While today’s approach may seem necessary to handle the complexity of modern systems, it often feels like a far cry from the simplicity of the 1970s, when IT professionals worked hand-in-hand with business teams to deliver solutions.

As we look toward the future, the challenge lies in finding a way to maintain the benefits of specialisation while restoring the close collaboration that is essential for solving real business problems effectively.

Flaws in the Current Model

While specialisation and structured processes were introduced to address complexity, they have also created significant challenges in today’s IT-business relationship. These issues often stem not from individual roles or methodologies but from how they interact—or fail to interact—in the larger organisational system.

Over-Specialisation Leads to Fragmentation

The high degree of specialisation in IT roles has created silos not just between IT and business but also within IT itself. While specialised expertise is essential, it often leads to:

• Gaps in understanding: Experts focus narrowly on their domain, with limited awareness of the bigger picture or how their work aligns with business goals.
• Communication barriers: Each specialized role uses its own terminology and tools, making cross-functional collaboration harder than it needs to be.

This fragmentation means that solving even relatively simple problems can require extensive coordination across multiple teams, increasing time and costs.

The Accountability Problem

The chain of intermediaries between the business problem and the technical solution often results in unclear accountability. When multiple roles touch a project—business analysts define requirements, product owners prioritise, and developers implement—no single person or team feels wholly responsible for the outcome.

This diffusion of responsibility can lead to:

• Finger-pointing when projects fail to meet expectations.
• Missed opportunities to innovate or adapt quickly, as decisions become bogged down in process.

Process Over People

Many organisations have adopted methodologies like Agile or frameworks like SAFe with good intentions but end up emphasising process over people. Rather than fostering collaboration, these approaches can become rigid systems where:

• Teams prioritise completing tickets or ceremonies over solving actual problems.
• Frameworks add unnecessary complexity by layering roles and processes that may not add value in every context.

This focus on adhering to a system often overlooks the importance of building trust and strong communication between the people involved.

Misaligned Incentives

One of the most significant flaws in the current model is the misalignment of incentives between business and IT. While business teams are measured on outcomes like growth, customer satisfaction, or market share, IT teams are often evaluated on operational metrics like uptime, sprint velocity, or backlog size.

These misaligned goals can result in:

• IT delivering “on time and on scope” solutions that fail to address the core business need.
• Business teams viewing IT as a cost center rather than a strategic partner.

Scaling Without Connection

As organizations grow, they often scale IT functions by centralizing or outsourcing them. While this approach can drive efficiency, it also increases the distance—both literal and metaphorical—between the people who define problems and those who solve them.

This lack of connection:

• Reduces adaptability: IT teams are less able to respond quickly to changing business needs.
• Erodes trust: Business teams feel disconnected from the processes that are supposed to serve them.

Ignoring the Human Element

At the heart of these flaws is a failure to recognise that successful IT-business collaboration isn’t just about roles, tools, or processes—it’s about people. Over-complexity has dehumanised the relationship, turning what should be a creative, problem-solving partnership into a transactional, bureaucratic process.

Addressing these flaws doesn’t mean abandoning specialisation or structured processes. Instead, it requires rethinking how business and IT roles can work together in a way that prioritises connection, clarity, and shared accountability. This reimagining is crucial for thriving in today’s complex, fast-paced environment.

A Solution for Today’s Complex World

While the current IT-business landscape is riddled with inefficiencies, there is hope for a more streamlined and effective way of working. By drawing on the lessons of the past and adapting to the needs of the present, organisations can begin to build a more connected, agile, and collaborative environment. Here’s a potential solution to bring IT and business back together in a more meaningful way.

Simplify the Role Structure

Rather than piling on more roles and layers of complexity, organizations should strive for clarity and simplicity in their role structures. This doesn’t mean eliminating specialization, but rather refocusing roles around a few core functions that directly support collaboration and value delivery.

• Product Owner as the central bridge: The Product Owner, ideally, should be a business expert who has deep domain knowledge and is responsible for aligning both business goals and technical execution. This person must have the authority and autonomy to make decisions on behalf of the business, allowing them to serve as the key liaison between business and IT.
• Cross-functional teams: Move away from overly segmented IT teams. Instead, form teams where developers, business analysts, and subject matter experts collaborate closely from the outset. This not only facilitates a better understanding of the problem but also speeds up delivery by reducing handoffs.

By simplifying the structure and promoting ownership, businesses can eliminate some of the confusion and inefficiencies that arise from unnecessary layers of roles.

Emphasise Direct Communication and Shared Understanding

One of the biggest problems with today’s approach is the over-reliance on intermediaries and formalized documentation. In many cases, requirements are passed down in long lists of specifications, losing important context along the way. Instead, organizations should prioritize direct, frequent communication between business and IT teams.

• Daily or weekly check-ins: These meetings can serve as a space for teams to share updates, ask questions, and align on priorities.
• Co-location or virtual co-working: If possible, developers and business stakeholders should work side by side, either physically or through digital collaboration tools. The goal is to ensure that everyone has a shared understanding of the problem and the solution.

By removing layers of intermediaries, businesses can improve the speed, quality, and relevance of the solutions delivered.

Foster a Culture of Shared Accountability

For true collaboration to occur, both IT and business teams need to be equally invested in the success of a project. This can only happen if both sides take joint accountability for the outcomes.

• Shared metrics: Create shared KPIs and metrics that reflect the overall success of the product, not just IT’s operational metrics or business’s market growth targets. For example, time-to-market, user adoption, and customer satisfaction should be jointly owned by both teams.
• Collaborative decision-making: Key decisions, especially around scope or priority, should be made together by business and IT stakeholders. This ensures that everyone is aligned and invested in the outcome.

When both sides are responsible for the success of a product, it reduces the blame game and fosters a more cooperative atmosphere.

Build in Flexibility and Adaptability

One of the reasons today’s IT-business relationship feels rigid is the overwhelming focus on standardised processes. While frameworks like Agile and DevOps have provided structure, they can also create their own inefficiencies if applied too rigidly. In today’s world, adaptability is essential.

• Tailor methodologies: While Agile and Scrum provide great frameworks, they must be tailored to the unique needs of each organisation. Don’t get bogged down in processes—focus on delivering value.
• Empower decision-making: Allow teams to make decisions quickly and autonomously, without needing approval from multiple layers of management.

By embracing flexibility, businesses can respond more quickly to changes and keep the focus on outcomes rather than processes.

Focus on People, Not Processes

At the core of any solution to the current inefficiencies is the human element. Organizations need to prioritize relationship-building, trust, and empathy between business and IT teams.

• Leadership and emotional intelligence: Leaders on both sides should focus on fostering collaboration, understanding, and respect for one another’s perspectives. This requires emotional intelligence and a willingness to break down silos.
• Continuous learning: Encourage both IT and business teams to gain a basic understanding of each other’s domains. Business stakeholders should learn about technology and development processes, while IT teams should understand the business goals and customer needs.

By emphasising people and relationships over rigid processes, companies can move toward a more harmonious, collaborative way of working.

Real-Time Feedback and Iteration

Finally, to address the challenges of misalignment and unclear requirements, organisations must build a feedback loop that is as short and direct as possible. Rather than waiting for a final product to be completed before seeking input, feedback should be continuous and iterative.

• Frequent releases: Deliver small, incremental releases to get feedback as early as possible. This reduces the risk of building something that doesn’t meet the needs of the business.
• User-centered design: Involve users in the process from day one, allowing for real-time feedback and course correction throughout the development cycle.

By implementing real-time feedback, businesses can avoid building solutions that miss the mark, saving time and resources in the process.

The solution to the inefficiencies in today’s IT-business relationship is not necessarily to return to a simpler time, but to build on the lessons learned from both the past and the present. By simplifying roles, prioritising direct communication, fostering shared accountability, embracing flexibility, focusing on people, and ensuring continuous feedback, organisations can create a more effective and efficient way of working together. The key is to balance the complexity of modern systems with the human connection that allows those systems to truly deliver value.

Conclusion: The Future of IT-Business Collaboration

The future of IT-business collaboration lies in building an ecosystem where both sides actively contribute to problem-solving, value creation, and continuous growth. Through simplicity, shared purpose, and a focus on people, organisations can navigate complexity with greater efficiency, leading to more innovative and impactful solutions.

In conclusion, the evolving relationship between IT and business requires a shift toward simplicity, collaboration, and shared accountability. By moving away from fragmented roles and rigid processes, and instead fostering open communication, mutual trust, and a focus on value delivery, organisations can create a more efficient and adaptive environment. Embracing a human-centered approach that prioritises outcomes over procedures will not only streamline operations but also drive innovation, ultimately positioning businesses to thrive in an increasingly complex world.