Aligning Business with Technology

In large enterprises, software developers and IT staff often operate in a very different day‑to‑day world from business or management professionals. Engineers tend to focus on technical excellence, specialized tools, and code quality, whereas business teams prioritize market needs, product features, and customer experience. These differing priorities can lead to misaligned goals and communication breakdowns: for example, developers may emphasize performance and stability while product managers push for new features to meet business targets.

Such conflicts are common and can stall projects; as one expert notes, teams using different jargon or incentives often struggle to work toward shared objectives. In practice, misunderstandings happen when each group expects the other to adjust, leading to delays. To overcome this, organizations need to foster mutual understanding. Leaders must clarify how every role contributes to the company’s mission and create a shared sense of ownership so that engineers and business colleagues feel equally responsible for outcomes.

As one industry analysis observes, cross-team collaboration often fails without intentional culture change. For example, mixed agile “squads” or project teams that include both IT and business members can break down silos. In a European bank case study, IT and commercial staff were co‑located in small squads, “constantly testing what they might offer our customers” in an environment with no rigid handoffs or managers controlling collaboration. This “end-to-end” team structure – where software engineers sit in the same space as product and marketing colleagues – was crucial to ING Netherlands’ agile transformation. It eliminated the departmental handovers that traditionally slowed projects.

In other words, embedding technologists and business people in the same teams helped align everyone on a common definition of success. Deloitte likewise reports that some banks are shifting toward cross-functional teams with IT, product, and business unit members working together, which “enhance[s] collaboration” and spreads agility throughout the process. These cross-disciplinary squads unite diverse expertise and make communication more fluid, reducing the “drag” caused by siloed planning.

In the corporate world, roles are usually more specialized than at a startup. Large companies often assign engineers very specific tasks within a rigid structure. One recruiter notes that in a big company, “you will usually work in a dedicated team and receive tasks according to your skillset,” allowing you to master a niche but also requiring you to interact through formal chains of command. This setup can be good for developing deep expertise, but it might isolate teams. Having engineers work closely with business partners helps solve this. For example, the image below shows a developer focused on coding, which is common in corporate projects. However, even in such settings, it's important to link technical work to the overall strategy.

When engineers understand the market goals behind their backlog, they can prioritize the right features and innovate within constraints. Modern corporate tech cultures try to balance this by holding joint planning sessions, rotating team members, and pairing engineers with product owners. In practice, emphasizing a “single vision” (e.g. a unified product roadmap) helps each team understand how its work fits into company objectives.

Current workplace trends reinforce these collaborative approaches. Hybrid and flexible work models are now widespread across Europe, changing how teams interact. A 2023 report found that 72% of European companies use hybrid work arrangements and see bottom-line benefits like higher profitability and efficiency. At the same time, 93% of employees in Europe rate flexibility as very important.

For software teams, this often means code and meetings occur partly online. To keep tech and business workers connected in a hybrid setting, it's important to have clear ways to communicate and shared routines, like regular video stand-ups or joint digital whiteboard sessions. Agile and DevOps practices support this by emphasizing frequent feedback and transparency. Indeed, many firms now adopt agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, etc.) so that everyone can iterate quickly and stay aligned. Banks, in particular, have begun setting up continuous delivery pipelines and product‑focused squads. Instead of one big waterfall project, teams iterate on small releases every few weeks.

This product-led approach makes it easier for business stakeholders to review work regularly and adjust priorities. It also encourages engineers and business staff to engage in the same sprint reviews or backlog grooming sessions, building a shared language.

Across Europe (including the South Caucasus region), governments and companies are also pushing digital transformation. A recent strategy document in one country of the Caucasus underscores this shift: it proposes collaborative, flexible decision-making among businesses, civil society and public institutions to drive innovation. This reflects a broader trend of valuing cross‑sector collaboration. As those initiatives highlight, open communication and adaptability are as important as the technology itself. In practice, multinational enterprises often run cross-border innovation hubs or joint tech-business training programs to cultivate this mindset. Similarly, corporate culture efforts now often include “reverse mentoring” (business leaders learning tech topics and vice versa) and cross-training (rotating finance people into IT or developers into customer support for short periods). These practices help build empathy and reduce the “us vs them” mentality.

Ultimately, a healthy corporate culture for mixed technical and business teams relies on clarity and respect. Leaders must clearly communicate strategy and involve both sides in planning. Engineers should be encouraged to explain technical trade-offs in plain language, and business folks should strive to understand at least the basics of the development process. Establishing shared metrics (like customer satisfaction or deployment frequency) ensures everyone moves toward the same targets. Trust grows when teams see that each discipline brings valuable expertise: for example, including engineers in customer demos or having marketers attend sprint retrospectives can break down stereotypes. When done well, these efforts foster a sense of joint ownership and belonging, which in turn boosts engagement and performance.

In summary, combining software engineers with business teams under one corporate roof presents challenges of jargon, misaligned incentives, and traditional silos. To address these, many European organizations are embracing agile, hybrid work, and cross-functional structures. They align everyone on shared goals, promote open communication, and integrate roles so that developers and business professionals truly work with each other rather than alongside each other. By nurturing this collaborative culture, enterprises can turn the diversity of skills into a strategic advantage, accelerating innovation while meeting business objectives.

References & Resources

1. McKinsey & Company — “How to build a culture of collaboration between business and technology”

2. Deloitte — “The future of banking: Bringing IT and business closer together”

3. Forbes — “What it’s like to work at a big tech company vs. a startup”

4. ING — Agile transformation case study: How ING adopted cross-functional squads

5. EY — “Hybrid work in Europe: Benefits and challenges” (EY 2023 European workforce study)

6. World Bank — “Digital Transformation Strategy for the South Caucasus” (policy insights on collaboration and innovation)