That relationship isn't always as clear as it needs to be, as Gil Urban discovered at Whirlpool Corp. Urban is the assistant CIO responsible for staff development and internal IT operations at the $13 billion maker of home appliances in Benton Harbor, Michigan. "We got feedback that the IT staff was not all that clear what our mission was to the rest of the company," he says. So this year, his team in Whirlpool's Global Information Systems (GIS) unit created a DVD to state the goals of the 400-to-600-employee IT organization.

Then GIS launched a series of workshops worldwide, showing IT employees the DVD and discussing how their roles helped fulfill Whirlpool's goals. "We wanted to help our organization see what our purpose is, and also we wanted to engage them in the discussion and grow our people and their capabilities through this," Urban says.

"We [in GIS] want to create new business capabilities for Whirlpool, but we have to be clearly connected to the business to get the right pulse," he says. "We have to see the company both regionally and globally. Now we have a framework."

Unlike five years ago, when IT managers sat together at Whirlpool headquarters, today they are dispersed among the major business units. They participate in senior business meetings, review plans and strategize with business leaders. As management discusses new product plans for the Whirlpool line, shipping and delivery needs, and quality control, IT executives' voices are heard, Urban says.

Marriott International Inc. also recently produced an IT-related DVD. Called "Technology: Shaping and Enabling Our Business," its purpose is to educate hotel franchisees and business partners worldwide about the Washington-based company's technology initiatives and direction. It's also being shown to Marriott's 1,350 technology associates to emphasize how the department fits into the rest of the organization.