--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: IT—especially with its role so greatly…" description: "\"“IT—especially with its role so greatly enlarged by the arrival of the Internet—has changed not only how we work and conduct business, but also how we ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/robert-d-austin-42148_business_it-especially-with-its-role-so-greatly-e_193801.jpg" --- # IT—especially with its role so greatly enlarged by the… ![“IT—especially with its role so greatly enlarged by the arrival of the Internet—has changed not only how we work and conduct business, but also how we (and our customers) play, how we consume, and how we educate our next generations. And yet the IT phenomenon, so evident in the expenditures of…” quote by Robert D. Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/robert-d-austin-42148_business_it-especially-with-its-role-so-greatly-e_193801.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/robert-d-austin-42148_business_it-especially-with-its-role-so-greatly-e_193801.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/robert-d-austin-42148_business_it-especially-with-its-role-so-greatly-e_193801.jpg) > ““IT—especially with its role so greatly enlarged by the arrival of the Internet—has changed not only how we work and conduct business, but also how we (and our customers) play, how we consume, and how we educate our next generations. And yet the IT phenomenon, so evident in the expenditures of every organization, has not yet achieved management attention equal to other areas, such as finance, marketing, operations, and human resources. In far too many companies, IT remains a black box that business managers rarely try to see inside. When business managers do engage in IT discussions, often they bring little expertise to bear. Few feel apologetic about their IT inadequacies. But the time is coming when “I’m not an IT person” will be no more adequate as a manager’s defense in the aftermath of a major corporate problem than Jeff Skilling’s now notorious “I’m not an accountant”—that CEOs effort to explain his failure to foresee or prevent Enron’s spectacular implosion.”” [Robert D. Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-austin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. IT is essential but often ignored by managers, leading to blind spots and costly failures. **In simple terms:** IT is crucial yet overlooked by leaders. Key Takeaway Give IT strategic priority. Themes technology management risk leadership Mood concerned urgent Type advisory strategic When to use this quote - budget planning - IT governance - crisis response - digital literacy Key Concepts digital transformation organizational blind spots strategic alignment Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders bridge the IT knowledge gap? - What policies ensure IT visibility? 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