Reference no: EM131700688

You are the CIO of a major pharmaceutical company that conducts its own research and development. Over a period of time, your department has standardized around a set of hardware and software applications, designed to reduce costs (e.g., personnel, software licenses, spare parts, etc.) and ensure compatibility. Members of the R&D department with the support of the longtime SVP of R&D (who, like you, reports to the President) have made a request for new computers which do not adhere to company standards and will require extraordinary support from your staff. These computers and their associated platform are unfamiliar to your staff and would consequently require special training. Inasmuch as the platform is unfamiliar, it is also possible that the new platform may be proven incompatible with other computers in the company. How would you handle the request? Would the state of your relationship with the SVP impact your approach? What if you were not a peer of the SVP where you did not report to the President and the SVP did?