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A recent article on Harvard Business Review looks at what it takes to
make it to the C-Suite from the perspective of today's CIO, CMO, CEO,
etc. Each top post has its own unique set of desirable skills and
requires the individual to take a slightly different path. We will
examine the optimal path for the aspiring CIO or Chief Information
Officer.
The following excerpt is from the HBR article written by Boris Groysberg, L. Kevin Kelly, and Bryan MacDonald
In the late 1980s and mid 1990s, most executives in information
technology either had grown up in the function, following a standard
path from business analyst to director, or were accounting professionals
with systems experience. Typically, directorship was the end of the
line. IT leaders were detail-oriented, logical, sequential thinkers. But
toward the end of that period, as web opportunities burst onto the
scene, companies began to seek more strategic ways to apply
technology—using the internet to explore new markets, attract new
customers, and streamline processes.
The typical IT director back then wasn’t particularly well versed in
business strategy or big-picture thinking. Technology departments had
become too rigid and parochial to respond quickly to new business
challenges and opportunities. IT directors by and large either pushed
back with technical reasons for why something couldn’t be done or
agreed to requests too quickly without challenging their rationale or
grasping their scope (and then frequently failed to deliver). Across
geographies and sectors, serious barriers—in both leadership behavior
and capability—were emerging between the business and technology
functions. The few executives who could straddle both worlds were in
high demand.
In the mid to late 1990s, in response to the lack of business savvy
among the IT staff, a new position evolved—CIO. The CIO was a senior
executive who understood not only new technologies but also how they
applied to business strategy. These new members of the executive team
were able to broker the complex relationship between business leaders
and the IT department. They were less exclusively concerned with the
technology itself and more attuned to how it could generate competitive
advantage—and more focused on leadership and organizational
effectiveness. Meanwhile, another phenomenon was emerging:
globalization. IT managers had to deal with integrating and
standardizing processes and platforms across multiple operating
companies, group functions, and regions.
Then, in 2008, as credit began to dry up, business needs shifted
again. Though IT had become better aligned with the business (at least
when it came to improved relationships), IT executives now had to make
complex decisions based on rigorous analyses of return on investment.
Their jobs became less about managing projects well and more about
managing the right projects well. Major technology expenditures needed
to be justified. A number of CIOs found themselves in over their heads;
the IT function required a leader who understood the increased
complexity of business and how IT strategy, business strategy, risk
management, and finance interacted.
For the foreseeable future, we expect the demand for a sophisticated
mix of skills in CIOs will increase. Companies will seek “hybrid” CIOs
who have not only business savvy but also experience with analytics,
organizational design, and infrastructure— and who know how to wire
together a holistic system that can support global growth. In many
cases, a commercial background will be a plus. Sales and marketing
knowledge will be considered an advantage when it comes to e-commerce
initiatives, as will stints in supply-chain management and logistics.
The most sought-after CIOs will have a keen understanding of how
companies can put to use the oceans of information they now collect. As
the CIO of a global consumer goods company explains, “There is a data
explosion happening around us, but we feel we are well equipped to
exploit this opportunity and use it as a competitive distinguisher in
our markets. The ways we share our ideas and gain customer feedback are
very new and exciting.”
Published by myITview.com
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