Danielle Savoie Case

Lion's Den1

After assessing the IT situation at Cirque du Soleil, it became clear to Danielle Savoie what needed to be done. She had three major objectives: (1) develop a strategic IT vision that would be accepted by Cirque's top management; (2) deploy a highly professional IT group that would have the required resources; and (3) improve the credibility of the IT group among the leaders of the firm. Most importantly, she had to promote the IT strategic plan to the Executive Committee. The Committee was chaired by Guy Laliberté, cofounder and owner of Cirque du Soleil, also known as "the Producer."

During the Executive Committee meeting in July, Ms. Savoie used the analogy of a sailboat to illustrate the role of IT within the organization, knowing that Guy Laliberté adored sailing. During her presentation, she showed a slide representing a sailboat. That simple picture had quite an impact. She explained that the sails were the IT applications that could be fully deployed - or not - depending on the intensity of the winds or the business needs. The boat's hull was a representation of the IT infrastructure. She explained that without a solid hull, the boat would sink, which is the same for the business if it is not effectively and efficiently supported by the right IT infrastructure. The "helmsperson" holding the tiller was her, governing IT, and the person standing in the front of the sailboat, providing direction, was Guy Laliberté.

When she left the meeting room, Danielle Savoie was well aware that she had just begun the difficult task of carrying out her IT strategic plan. Her next concern was to set up the proper governance mechanisms that would help her achieve the IT strategic plan. For her, the structure of governance was "the set of mechanisms for decision making, the roles and the responsibilities necessary to make it possible to align IT with the business objectives of the company and to maximize the added-value of IT."