Here’s how the CIO can thrive moving forward.
We read an article recently, which you can read by clicking here, that really caught our attention. It calls into question the relevance of the CIO (Chief Information Officer) and IT departments as a whole, citing this stat:
“almost two-thirds (64%) of organizations now allow technology to be managed outside the IT department.”
Part of this evolution was brought on by a surge in cloud-based SaaS (software as a service) products, which are often supported by the provider and don’t require IT support from an internal IT department.
Moreover, while this has seemingly displaced IT professionals, it’s also opened the door to a new way for them to be a helpful resource.
Internal non-IT teams are implementing technologies at staggering rates, which creates three key problems for companies, which CIOs are equipped to help solve:
- Individual teams are not always implementing software correctly or efficiently, which can create wasteful spending, unnecessary headaches, and unachieved goals.
- The teams are further isolating themselves from the rest of their company, as they have multiple software products doing the same thing, and information is not shared freely across different teams.
- Companies as a whole are losing out on the larger opportunity because they’re treating technology as a way to automate tasks, instead of evaluating how it could enhance their business altogether.
How can CIOs evolve their roles to not only stay relevant but thrive moving forward? Here are three contributions they can start making today.
Be the hero to individual teams by showing them what’s possible.
CIOs have historically held more of a reactionary role. Teams need technology to enable them to do something more efficiently, so the IT team went to work.
Today, however, CIOs need to be leading change by enabling companies, and their teams, to implement the right technology in the right way so that they can capitalize on improved business outcomes.
Though teams are implementing technology on their own, it doesn’t mean it’s the most viable option. There are so many different tools and software available to us, it’s hard to know where to start, and it’s even harder to effectively determine what your team needs.
Furthermore, off-the-shelf SaaS products have great potential, but many teams don’t realize that they still must be configured to best suit them. This helps to ensure user adoption is high, and the perceived value can be recognized by everyone. All too often we see teams purchase a new tool, plug it in, and just pay the monthly bill without getting much use out of it.
Make your day-to-day more manageable with effective integrations.
Sometimes, neighboring teams are using something their peers could utilize as well. However, if there isn’t a single person or group focused on connecting all technology, it’s hard for teams to share such knowledge.
Enter, CIO 2.0. Most teams don’t want to take it upon themselves to research the right software and figure out how to implement it. So, if a new tool comes across their radar, they may jump at it, not realizing that a similar resource is already implemented internally at their company.
Companies quickly amass multiple tools that aren’t talking with one another. This creates a lot of unnecessary work arounds, and manual tasks that could otherwise be better handled were the tools integrated with one another. More so, it prevents the company from having a 360-degree view of its clients, thus limiting the ability to better service each client.
The most effective CIOs can take it upon themselves to understand the needs of all of the teams, how they work together, and ultimately determine which tools will allow them to collaborate as a single entity most effectively.
Get leadership buy-in by presenting solutions that enable your company to lead its niche.
Technology should push teams beyond just task automation. The leading CIOs demonstrate how technology can fundamentally change their businesses today, for the better.
To an extent, it’s a necessity for businesses to integrate the right technology more seamlessly with their business, because:
“44% of organizations expect to change their business model in a fundamental way in the next three years.”
Tom Goodwin, EVP of Innovation at Zenith, poses the question: What would your company look like if you built it today?
His point is that technology has enabled us to work in new ways, more efficiently. For businesses that don’t adapt fast enough, they’re likely to be disrupted by early adopters who leverage technology to accomplish more in a shorter amount of time, all the while serving their customers in improved ways.
What’s the bottom line?
For many companies, IT is seen as a tertiary requirement. However, the technology they work with is quickly disrupting decades-old businesses seemingly overnight. Key business leaders and decision makers need include their CIO in more conversations at the business level, or they risk being disrupted by a competitor.
The CIO of the future will need to be more collaborative on the business side than ever before. They will need this visibility to ensure their technology is configured around their business and helping to push it forward, rather than hold it back.