system errors and implement operational
improvements, but to leverage technology
in ways that support new corporate
initiatives and help generate new revenue
streams – and at the heart of such
transformation lies the CIO.
The need for better IT
According to IDG, 88% of today’s CIOs are
more involved in business transformation
than any other individual at their level within
their company.
Once mainly reporting to the CFO and
boasting a strictly technical background,
the CIO’s role is becoming more influential
as technology is placed at the heart of
business strategy and many organisations
have changed the CIO’s immediate report
from the traditional CFO to the CEO to
ensure that there can be an open dialogue
and direct visibility.
In fact, so strategic has the role of the
CIO now become, that many well-known
innovative businesses have already
appointed previous CIOs as CEOs including
NHS Digital, Tesco, Reuters and BT
Openreach, and according to technology
officers surveyed a few years ago by Korn/
Ferry, 51% aspire to be CEOs at some point
in their careers.
www.intelligentcio.com
“
CIOS NEED TO
RESHAPE THE
WAY THAT AN
ORGANISATION
‘DOES IT’.
The need for a sharpened focus on IT,
and the subsequent rise of the CIO,
are significantly linked to the ‘instant
gratification world’.
Organisations worldwide across all industries
are getting to grips with the fact that today’s
consumers are more demanding than ever.
Tech pioneers such as Amazon may be
to blame for this phenomenon, offering
customers such immediacy to the point
that if, for example, a retailer can’t manage
same-day delivery, it is promptly disregarded
for a competitor.
Customers want speed and simplicity so
businesses must enhance their digital
capabilities to deliver on these expectations.
That’s where the CIO comes in – their job
is to ensure the business is equipped with
the right technology and ensure that this is
constantly updated so as to keep up with
ever-evolving customer demands. In order
for this to be possible, CIOs and their teams
must increase emphasis on the customer
experience and build IT around user needs.
In order to develop an environment
which grows future leaders, CIOs need
to reshape the way that an organisation
‘does IT’. Delivering outstanding service
for internal and external stakeholders is
impossible without efficient processes and
streamlined operations.
Under the direction of the CIO, organisations
must implement the right tools in order to
enhance operational efficiency and improve
IT workflows. While there is certainly a need
for innovative solutions to business problems,
these simply cannot be implemented
without agile IT systems and culture.
If a CIO focuses exclusively on ideating and
leaves the ‘IT plumbing’ to others, they risk
taking the express elevator to the top floor of
the Ivory Tower, where grandiose ideas are
out of touch with business reality and cannot
be realised. What makes this transformation
challenging is the fact that IT is currently
scattered across siloed departments and lacks
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