One issue we've grappled with in this newsletter is that the different worldviews that financial pros and IT pros bring to the table [1]. It's fair to say that they do not often see the world the same way. One CIO has dared to write a column listing ten reasons why there's a "dark side" to going public. As I read the list, there was a sense that perhaps the two sides aren't that far apart. Number 1 on the list is "Ronco sales tactics." Truth be told, the frenzy to come up with earnings, as if they can be magically conjured, probably rubs a lot of financial people the wrong way also. It's a fact of life, and I'm sure more than a few CFOs have nixed some ideas. Number 2: Obsession with stock options. The CIO sees a lot of time wasted on the complex processes that govern the use of options. While the CFO understands the need to incent people, I'm willing to bet that more are sensing that some grants aren't achieving that. Then we get to Number 3: "The Crushing Burden of Sarbanes-Oxley." The CIO certainly sees the pain and the costs, but does he see the upside? More CFOs are coming around to the procedural benefits of compliance. It's all a matter of perspective. I propose that all CFOs ask the company's CIOs out for lunch more often.

For more:
- here's the CIO's column [2] in Computerworld