The Multi-Faceted CIO: Are You Ready To Move Beyond IT?

CIO is the new business leader. Haven’t you heard this all too often? Well, it is a statement that is being tossed around on most public forums the world over. However, what does this really entail? Behind the designation of the CIO, what are the multiple roles that the individual is supposed to fulfill? Which are the primary areas of business that the CIO contributes towards? Biztech2.com tries to get some answers.

According to Andrew Rowsell-Jones, VP & Research Director, Executive Programs Worldwide, Gartner, around ten years ago, Indian CIOs were slotted in the technical category. This view has changed considerably and a lot of what they do today, is on par with CIOs in the US and Europe in terms of relationships and responsibilities.

Heminder Singh Ahluwalia, Executive Advisor with the Gartner Executive Program, says, “More executives with business backgrounds are becoming CIOs now because in today’s business environment, they are expected to be credible business partners. Having this credibility and combining it with sustained high performance provides CIOs the opportunity to extend their responsibilities and even move into other C-level positions over time”.

Let us now explore the different roles that CIOs are performing in today’s enterprises.

Driving Force of Change

As per Delloite’s research, to support the new business reality of ubiquitous change, today’s CIO spends time on value-enhancing activities and manages non-technology business issues beyond the traditional IT management role. It is all about the ability to scale, respond quickly to changes, and propel business agility.

In the view of Ahluwalia, CIOs are demonstrating business leadership by expanding their current responsibilities. They’re not only satisfying the CIO job description, they’re also honing the skills crucial for business advancement. Delivering business transformation by using IT to change business processes and models, sometimes creating a new line of business altogether – these are the areas where the CIO plays a conspicuous role. CEOs now expect their CIOs to bring tangible benefits to the business through IT and build elasticity and scalability into the enterprise.

Jones says, “The CIO role is changing from technology to business. Now BPOs are beginning to service local markets, there are sophisticated supply chain arrangements, change management is assuming significance and the CIO role is blending into all of this.”

Balancer of the Value Equation

In Jones’ opinion, CIOs are trying to figure out how to use their existing resources to bring about a positive technology impact on customers and business processes. Their pursuit is to construct a global, information-driven and collaborative enterprise.

IBM mentions in its global study that CIOs become ‘Value Creators’ when they work with the business to enable superior customer experiences. These savvy ‘Value Creators’ derive greater value—both for external customers and the enterprise—by fully leveraging critical information and data.

Reshaping the CIO Role

The CIO now has a multi-faceted role to play in the enterprise. While the larger picture is that of a business leader, intricate functions such as risk management, RoI measurement, value enhancement, team motivation and innovation are also part of his/ her kitty of responsibilities. Does this also imply that the CIO can now assume other offices within the C-level team?

Jones feels that while some CIOs have the potential to turn into planners and COOs, however, they rarely move into the role of the CEO. The main reason that he cites for this is the difference in outlook. While CEOs are very open ended and creative, CIOs are detail oriented and close ended. A CEO tries to create something that isn’t there, while the CIO orders things that are there to be functional and in place.

Despite the take of analysts, ambitious CIOs start building competencies while playing the IT role they are assigned. They volunteer to be part of the supply chain logistics, process improvements and lean implementations. They also start gaining credible experience in other departments.

The spectrum of career opportunities for CIOs is widening and even includes the position of the CEO. Today, CIOs hail from varied backgrounds, and some are using the role to round out their leadership experience. C-level opportunities for CIOs are expanding. The business is ready to give the CIO a chance to embrace a leadership position and make a difference internally and externally. The ball in his court. Is the CIO ready to excel beyond IT?