CIO OPINION
The changing role
According to Gartner’s latest CIO Agenda
Survey, 95% of CIOs expect their jobs to
be significantly reshaped due to digital
transformation. We have, therefore,
witnessed a significant increase in
technology spending being liberated from
the CIO’s grasp and allocated to that of
other business units.
No longer is the CIO the technology-facing
executive of the past. Today’s CIO is more
closely aligned with broader company-
wide objectives than ever before. Their
role has shifted from the ‘manufacturer’
of IT systems to the ‘enabler’ of business
transformation, with success no longer
measured by the effective construction and
deployment of such systems, but instead by
the tangible outcomes that these integrated
technologies can deliver to a business.
“
TWO-THIRDS OF
ALL BUSINESS
LEADERS CLAIM
THAT KEEPING
PACE WITH
DIGITISATION IS
A PREREQUISITE
FOR SUCCESS
IN TODAY’S
ECONOMY.
and the right plan to ensure all systems are
able to meet a variety of business needs.
Embracing the new role
On one hand, it remains the case that a
CIO must have a deep understanding of
their business and its strategy for growth;
meaning they must have a strategic vision
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On the other hand, tomorrow’s CIOs will
need to surpass what were deemed to be
the traditional demands associated with
their role. The expectation is that they
should possess the traits typical of business
leaders, i.e. confidence, flexibility, curiosity,
trustworthiness, respect, sensitivity and
self-awareness.
Above all, they must break free of their
comfort zones and push the boundaries
of the role. With new business models,
companies and entire economies being
cultivated today, seemingly at the drop of
a hat, adopting an open-minded approach
is vital for the IT function to not only be
relevant, but essential for organisations
across industries.
There has never been a better time for
our IT leaders to welcome and benefit
from change. Although risk is consistently
a key determinant in business decisions,
innovation has long been a key determinant
of success. CIOs are uniquely positioned
to rebrand themselves as individuals – and
the role itself – to become nurturers of
innovation and brokers of these technologies
to meet evolving organisational demands.
Delivering value
Crucially, incumbents of the role must quickly
learn to use their new-found freedom to best
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