In both of these situations, better information technology and information systems will give the advisers the tools they need to attract new business and to outperform competing wealth management services. These tools will then drive business to the individual advisers, resulting in the super growth that was the original challenge the company wanted to address.

Assessment of Alignment

At present, the it function provides a substantial amount of information to BT, but there are still opportunities to improve linkages between business units. The it department is strong, but not as proactive as it could be in finding new ways to help deliver competitive advantages to the advisers. Marketing is the key way in which it can help BT to grow -- there are hundreds of thousands of customers scattered throughout Westpac's different companies and the more access BT's advisers have to these clients and their information the better they will be able to generate new business. In addition, most advisers rely on information provided through internal channels to help with investment decisions. Therefore, it can play a key role in improving the quality and timing of that information. At that point, it will be considered that there is an optimal alignment between the it function and strategy. The present level of alignment is good, but the company can outperform its competitors if the alignment between the it function and strategy is improved, by making it more of a sales support function and using it to free the flow of information within the company.

Strategic Opportunities

As noted, the most important strategic opportunity is for BT and the Westpac Group in general to optimize the flow of information...

There is a tremendous amount of information within the company, but for the most part that information is compartmentalized in the different business units. Growing the business will require that information to be unlocked and put to better use by the different sales personnel (investment advisers, insurance reps) within the company. The current usage of the it function creates relatively little value, serving more as a support function. Yet there is clear opportunity for it to work as a powerful tool in marketing support. Given the vast network of advisers that BT has, putting more power in their hands will only serve to unlock more value from the vast amount of information that the company already possesses. This is the main area where the company can create more value from the information technology department.
Conclusion

BT is a large organization that operates in an intensely competitive industry. The company is not especially differentiated from its competitors and has little in the way of competitive advantage -- most firms in the industry have the same attributes that BT does. This presents a significant challenge for BT is trying to achieve superior growth. There is, however, a way that it can unlock the vast stores of information within the company to create more marketing opportunities for the thousands of sales representatives within the company.