Institution building and change management for IT organizations is challenging even for small cases. Success rates can be improved by careful collection of verified good practices. NATO experience provides examples of good practice. Learning from one of the largest efforts in NATO Reform, launched after the 2010 Lisbon Summit, i.e. the establishment of the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) is indispensable. The focus of this article is on the identification of the process and related good practices and, in some cases, recognizing mistakes to be escaped in the future. It presents an attempt to structure the experience as a methodology to support institution building and change management in similar service-based or technology-oriented organizations. The transition from five different organizations to one service-based and customer-funded agency is reviewed in the framework of the NATO Comprehensive C4ISR Approach, noted by Nations in November 2009, considered as an appropriate framework to present and understand the process of change.Keywords: IT management, IT governance, good practices, institution building, change management, NATO, NCIA.
IntroductionThis paper is based on the practical experience of the author in the period 2009-2016 when he was director sponsor account NATO & Nations in the NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A, 2009-2012) and director demand management in the successor -the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA, 2013(NCIA, -2017, and participated in all stages of transforming five ICT agencies in one C&I Agency for the whole NATO and Nations, both members and partners.This change was in the context of overall NATO reform. At the Lisbon Summit, in November 2010, NATO leaders endorsed a new Strategic Concept, which states that the Alliance will "engage in a process of continual reform, to streamline structures, improve working methods and maximize efficiency." This reform continued through a long term adaptation initiative, especially its institutional dimension in addition to political and military aspects.Building service based and customer funded (focused) C&I agency by merging five different bodies to achieve effectiveness, efficiency and 20 % savings for NATO C&I Institution Building for IT Governance and Management 14 organization stakeholders in 3-5 years (practically, seven years with two years of preparation), when maintaining quality of service to all existing and many new customers in the security environment that dramatically changed after 2014 (Russian aggression to Ukraine -annexation of Crimea and support to rebels in Eastern Ukraine, rise of ISIS and overall instability in MENA region) was all but a trivial task.Conceptual framework for the review and analysis of the transition is noted by the Nations in the 2009 NATO Comprehensive C4ISR Approach with three pillars: 1 (1) extended customer base, including not just NATO common funded structures and national defence organizations, but the whole security sector, and not only o...