And "HR doesn't get IT" is not just a North American plaint. Recent research conducted by consulting firm McKinsey & Co. shows that boards of directors and senior executives in Europe have similar concerns.

One thing is certain: Organizations are going to be spending increasing amounts of time on IT management issues. One of the attributes of high-performance companies is that there is a great -- not just good -- relationship between the HR and IT organizations.

One of the leading experts on HR management, professor David Lewin of the Anderson School at UCLA, says IT leaders should be talking to their HR colleagues about an HR management portfolio with these eight facets:

Job and work design

Selection and staffing