CIO Jobs Morph From Tech Support Into Strategy
According to recent CIO polls from research firm Gartner Inc., 50% of CIOs surveyed said they now have duties outside of core technology, such as helping to craft corporate strategy. Adding "Companies are requiring CIOs to be more thoughtful about strategy," …."Many CIOs have become business partners."
For employees reporting to a CIO – program leaders, managers and enterprise architects – the implication is clear: they too need to change the way they view their roles from that of just technologists to technology enablers.
The implication of this to software service providers is also interesting since CIOs expect them to take on dual roles : become ‘trusted advisors’ while also taking over some of the day-to-day operational challenges. This is perhaps the thought being echoed by my colleague Sandeep in his Flat World Blog entry too. In a sense, consultants from service firms have an added responsibility of providing CIOs with the external perspective without having to deal with the internal dynamics of her/his organization.
There is a softer dimension to this too. just like the rest of us, CIOs also have career goals and aspirations. In an interesting CIO magazine article, Martha Heller attempts to address the query of what does the future hold for these IT leaders? Stating “Some will maintain their CIO title and progress to larger and more complex organizations. Others will move across the enterprise and into the business. A handful will push the boundaries of what it means to be a CIO."
Astute CIOs know the value of leveraging the best ideas internally and externally, especially if the ideas can benefit their organizations (and them). Understanding and empathizing with the CIOs goals and ensuing that they meet them is perhaps a key to success of a consultant
