Chief Information Officer CIO, CIO

TAdviser Chief information officers Directory

• ttop Chief information officer (CIO)
• ttop Deputy Chief information officer (CIO)
• ttop CTO
• ttop Deputy Technical Director

5 differences between CDO and CIO

In the context of the digital transformation of the business, companies have received more opportunities to solve old problems, as well as new tasks that need to be dealt with. Against this background, the specialty of the director of digital technology was born. The line between CDO and CIO (Chief information officer) responsibilities is blurred and requires a separate arrangement within specific companies, as these roles not only have to complement each other, but also work closely together to deliver digital transformation in the organization. Still, there are several features that distinguish Chief information officer from a digital director. Read more here.

2022: Gartner: 4 tips to Chief information officers on what to do amid complex geopolitics

Geopolitics describes geographical factors affecting the balance of power in international relations. Competition between countries is manifested in many areas, including economic, military and social. As digital technology plays an increasing role in each, digital geopolitics becomes a distinct, unique category of impact. In August 2022, Gartner analysts gave Chief information officers of advice on how to operate in difficult geopolitics.

{{quote 'As of August 2022, many Chief information officers have to deal with trade disputes, legislative initiatives of one of the countries affecting global operations, and restrictions imposed by the authorities on the purchase and use of digital technologies. You need to familiarize yourself and prepare for the consequences of this new reality, "said Brian Prentice, vice president of Gartner. }}

Gartner gave Chief information officers of 4 tips on what to do in difficult geopolitics

Experts believe that Chief information officer should play a key role in assessing corporate risk and, if necessary, in rebuilding digital systems. It will be necessary to manage or use four aspects of digital geopolitics for their own purposes.

The first of these is digital sovereignty. To protect it, national governments, first of all, resort to legislative and regulatory powers, such as, for example, privacy laws, such as the General Regulation for the Protection of Personal Persons data (), GDPR and increasingly turn to extraterritorial legislation. International corporations dealing with citizens of a particular jurisdiction are required to comply with its laws, regardless of where the company operates or where the citizens reside.

According to Gartner, IT directors should actively monitor that the operating model and practice of an IT organization reflects current laws and regulations. The task of Chief information officers is to understand the legal environment and explain to other managers how to support compliance.

The second aspect is related to the development of national technological industries. The funds for this are allocated by the governments of many states. Participation in such projects opens up an opportunity for active interaction with local authorities. Chief information officer should localize specific initiatives in countries that best combine the expertise of local personnel and access to government support for collaborative innovation.

The increasing digitalization of the national military and security operations will limit the availability of some technologies in various countries. Gartner believes that businesses and Chief information officers should prepare for this. To minimise disruption, a centre of excellence needs to be set up on the risks associated with possible banning of suppliers and their technologies. It will be the centre's responsibility to regularly assess the exposure of key providers to changing constraints by governments.

Digital technologies permeate all spheres of society, and the authorities of different states strive that their domestic technologies reflect national values ​ ​ and serve as support for citizens. Governments are increasingly concluding that national digital infrastructure needs to be protected. Gartner is convinced that the strengthening of the struggle for control over cyberspace will affect the activities of international corporations. Although Chief information officer cannot influence what is happening in this area, analysts advise holding annual explanatory briefings to better understand the current situation among the company's managers.^[1]

2021: CIOs strengthen their influence in companies as IT becomes more important

On November 24, 2021, IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) announced that according to the latest study, the influence of Chief information officers on the strategy and operating activities of businesses participating in the study is growing along with the increase in the importance of information technology. In addition, CEOs (CEOs), answering the question of which other senior executives will play a leading role in the company in the coming years, were more than twice as likely to call CIOs and CIOs than directors of marketing, personnel or other executives (not counting financial and operating directors).

Chief information officer strengthen their influence in companies as IT becomes more important. Photo: zeluslugi.ru.

According to the company, the global study, regularly conducted since 2003, also identified the main difficulties faced by Chief information officer, and formulated recommendations to overcome these difficulties and provide companies with flexibility, innovation and growth.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for artificial intelligence systems and hybrid cloud applications that can support critical business processes has increased. The role of technology has never been more important than in the post-pandemic era, so it is Chief information officer's that has to influence the strategy, overcome internal disunity, and increase flexibility and innovation in all areas of business. noted Catherine Guarini, Chief information officer

CIOs continue to be responsible for key services that keep the company running on a day-to-day basis. But now they are also expected to make decisions to accelerate innovation and business development.

Many of the Chief information officers surveyed emphasized the importance of data and automation to overcome disunity and create value streams.

Over the past two years, the number of Chief information officers who reported a high level of maturity in artificial intelligence workflows has grown 6.6 times globally, and in the region of Central and Eastern Europe, growth has been almost nine times (8.6 times).

At the same time, 38% of Chief information officers called process automation the main medium-term opportunity to optimize the company's work. 45% of Russian respondents cited information security and risk management technologies as such a priority, while only one in four mentioned process automation.

Hybrid clouds are the basis for AI-based workflows. The number of Chief information officers praised the level of maturity of hybrid cloud technologies in their companies in the region of Central and Eastern Europe has grown 6.3 times (8 times global) compared to 2019. A recent IBV study on cloud transformation provides insights into how hybrid clouds are becoming the dominant IT architecture.

Many Chief information officers plan to use information technology to achieve corporate goals such as business sustainability. 47% of Russian Chief information officers believe that it is technologies that will significantly affect operational stability in the next three years - this is the highest figure among all other spheres of influence.

The role of many Chief information officers as a liaison between different departments of the company continues to grow: they balance and reallocate technological resources and capabilities to ensure business flexibility and efficiency. However, within the technology block itself, only four out of ten Chief information officers globally and one in three in Russia, by their own admission, often interact with CIOs - despite the fact that effective cooperation can lead to economic benefits for business.

The consequences of this disconnect can be serious: if Chief information officer and CIOs use data and AI systems for different purposes without coordinating policies, processes, and tools with each other, the company may find itself without a common vision of the situation and will not be able to fully manage critical data.

83% of globally surveyed Chief information officers (89% in Russia) have implemented a remote work strategy, but only 23% of percent (32% in Central and Eastern Europe) expect remote jobs due to COVID-19 to remain after the pandemic.

At the same time, almost two-thirds (65%) of ordinary employees surveyed globally say that, if possible, they would prefer to work completely remotely or in a hybrid format.

This can indicate that Chief information officer does not see a real situation, and potentially cause difficulties if employee preferences for flexible working hours and freedom of choice of the workplace do not change. During this period of "mass resignations," the ability of Chief information officers to implement effective technology schemes and productive collaboration strategies can be a decisive factor in the battle for the personnel.

The study contains several IBM guidelines for leaders:

• More actively apply the strategy of open hybrid cloud and artificial intelligence systems to promote flexibility, innovation and development.
• Establish cooperation with technology directors to strengthen the leadership influence of the technology unit.
• Do not miss the moment and build a corporate strategy around hybrid work formats.

2020

Top Five CIO Issues

CIO must play a major role in providing innovation and value-added to any organization, emphasizing business results, flexibility and improved customer service. However, with limited resources and budgets, not to mention problems with legacy systems, this is easier said than done^[2]

Moreover, it may not be easy to find the hardware and software you need to truly transform your business. The main requirements are ease of integration, ease of use and the ability to adapt to the wishes of the client. Their compliance still presents a great difficulty, despite the development of technology and the presence of many potential solutions.

Software should grow with ideas about business and promote rather than discourage innovation, as CIOs relentlessly push traditional boundaries. Of course, the time has come for change and the time to revise dependence on third-party software vendors.

With this in mind, consider some of the current challenges facing CIOs, how software manufacturers should support CIOs, and what role CIOs should play to ensure moving forward.

Authorized teams

Today, companies are highly dependent on software manufacturers for even small changes. Often it is necessary to pay for this, and the deadlines are extended, since software manufacturers have current obligations and tasks.

This model limits flexibility and is inefficient in terms of business transformation. CIO should be empowered to adapt and improve the solutions it acquires to provide personalized and personalized customer service.

More internal controls are needed on purchased software, allowing companies to configure it to suit their needs. IT should be able to flexibly adapt and improve processes to respond quickly to changes in the environment or implement future-oriented innovative change programs.

Only in this case will the company be able to provide customers with personalized service and develop in accordance with their expectations, as well as bypass competitors who may well adhere to outdated working methods. Of course, it is important to receive additional support from the software vendor if necessary. But only if such a need arises, and not depend on it, when any changes will need to be made.

Integration difficulties

It's not easy to get a positive customer experience from each contact. To do this, you need to know their preferences deeply, collecting data from various points of contact. CIO has to adapt to this.

Therefore, full integration of service technologies such as CRM and billing platforms is required to have a comprehensive understanding of the client. However, even cloud solutions, known for their high speed, ease of deployment and use, still do not meet the requirements. Their integration often requires high qualifications, experience and investment.

Therefore, companies now have to choose between a single unified view of the client and lengthy integration processes that disrupt business processes and contradict digital transformation. None of these options are ideal, so for many companies finding the right balance between them remains a real headache.

A compromise solution is also required by the old problem of choosing between an ERP system and point-based, best-in-class software solutions. Should companies invest in the best solutions for each application (CRM, document management, etc.) or prefer simpler ERP integration processes, risking a system that is a "master of all trades" but falls short of the best in class?

True, changes are gradually taking place before our eyes. Software manufacturers are now entering into partnerships that bring a revolutionary "zero integration" model that allows companies to connect and run market-leading, best-in-class solutions without integration. This could finally end the juxtaposition of ERP systems and best-in-class solutions by borrowing the most attractive of both worlds, which could be amazing news for companies.

Priority of usability

Often companies have to sacrifice the usability of their chosen software because it meets certain requirements or has advantages such as AI elements.

However, such a strategy will not lead to long-term success. Excellent customer service depends on a team of trusted, well-trained and empowered advisers who can use business technology with confidence and efficiency.

This team should feel comfortable and confident using technology in their day-to-day work. Therefore, for the success of business change programs, user-friendly and "excellent-looking" software is important. Great user experiences create great customer experiences. Accordingly, it is necessary that usability comes first rather than being seen as something secondary.

Exploring future road maps

Given the speed of change caused by digital transformation, it is important that CIOs choose software suitable for both today and tomorrow. When making decisions on the purchase of software, you should be guided by the manufacturer's product roadmap.

It is clear that you have to solve urgent problems and meet momentary requirements, but you should not sacrifice long-term plans for this. Solutions should demonstrate the extent to which they help a company achieve digital transformation for the long term. For example, there is an AI integration plan. What business problems will this solve? Is the roadmap of the software manufacturer consistent with the needs of a specific company and market?

Digital Collaboration

In today's conditions, it is extremely important to organize cooperation between the staff working at home. CIO should implement internal solutions for instant messaging, conferencing, and file sharing.

You should also consider proper access to the CRM system. AI can increase the efficiency of interaction with clients by automating basic service protocols.

CIOs must fit into the future

Great times have come for CIO. Many of them will seek to transform their divisions and teams from service providers to business partners aimed at strategic business results and bringing the business closer to customers.

Manufacturers must also keep up with the times and support the CIO in the new conditions. Software can no longer deter a business from achieving its goals. Both CIO and software manufacturers who ignore the onset of a new era will quickly be among the laggards.

Chief information officer will be responsible for corporate culture

On February 26, 2020, it became known that by 2021, CIOs will be responsible for culture in the workplace on a par with HR. But to do so, CIOs must first understand how values, mindsets and experiences intersect. Leaders can directly influence how these three factors influence behavior and determine culture. They must also adopt tactics to identify, model and stimulate positive behavior and ultimately reward it.

As reported, values influence decision-making, relationships, and behavior. Organizational values ​ ​ must be consistent with the goals of the organization, reflected in the daily decisions and behavior of leaders. If management has not articulated values or defined them vaguely, it can undermine culture and even interfere with broader strategic goals.

Organizations cannot count on stable positive behavior as long as sustainable and strategy-consistent values are lacking. CIOs that seek to influence culture should take care of IT unit values first. If these group values are not clearly understood, the basis of individual decisions and actions of employees will be their personal values.

Tactically, a frank conversation with employees can be useful. CIOs should work with them to identify issues and shortcomings and share considerations with functional managers. The next step is to determine what values ​ ​ and what behavior correspond to the desired culture of the organization and wider goals. The most important thing is to demonstrate a certain behavior in the hope that subordinates will imitate.

As of February 2020, only 13% of HR unit managers believe their subordinates strongly believe in the desired culture of the organization. Most CIOs have no idea what their employees think. Unable to know everyone personally, they are responsible for the internal culture of the organization. Therefore, they are advised to always demonstrate their willingness to agree and take into account someone else's opinion.

Involving all staff using openness is one way to ensure overall participation in culture formation. Leaders should become more accessible using a variety of techniques, including talking about lessons learned from failure and modeling self-awareness.

When practice falls short of official values, attempts to change culture are doomed to failure. Any behavior, habit or established practice exists as long as it is rewarded and amplified by the environment. The established practice, which does not correspond to the desired culture or contradicts it, can sometimes become so rooted in behavior that it is difficult for company employees to identify the problem. CIOs must objectively assess their own behaviour and practice if they are to determine which deficiencies need to be overcome.

But even after that, it's not easy to identify problematic behavior. One of the recommended means to identify entrenched bad habits is to attract an independent external partner.

Subsequently, tactical techniques to change culture can be used to raise awareness, share organizational goals, and break the "reward" cycle that perpetuates negative behavior. Once these three steps are implemented, CIOs are on track to overhaul the culture of their^[3] organization^[4]

2018

• Leading companies strive to track and respond to trends in the digital economy.
• IT is a natural focal point for promoting and accelerating the adoption of new management approaches based on breakthrough technologies.
• Thus, CIO naturally occupies a place at the forefront of the transition to an adaptive digital economy.

Powers of Chief information officers in government agencies and companies equalized in the United States

In mid-May 2018, US President Donald Trump signed a government decree designed to strengthen the role of information technology directors in federal executive bodies to modernize the IT direction in government agencies. 

In December 2017, the White House said the government needed to thoroughly redesign its information and computing systems, improve data protection and accelerate cloud adoption.

Donald Trump and Jared Kushner

According to the decree signed on May 15, 2018, IT managers are given powers similar to those of their colleagues in the non-state sector, which will help attract high-quality specialists to work in government agencies.

According to Reuters, this initiative belongs to Trump's son-in-law and his senior adviser Jared Kushner, who leads the White House project to modernize IT systems. He noted that the new initiative will increase the efficiency of the government and make its activities more transparent.

President Trump is leveraging the successful experience of the private sector and empowering Chief information officers to implement technology transformation in their institutions, "he said.

This order gives Chief information officers of broader hiring powers and provides the ability to quickly attract qualified personnel in emergency situations, an administration spokesman said.

The official did not provide specific data, but said next steps to overhaul U.S. IT systems in the long run would have saved billions of dollars by consolidating data centers and moving to cloud services.

Also, the order prescribes to make CIO "voting members of IT management councils at the level of structural divisions." The Office of Personnel Management (Office of Personnel Management) is ordered to send representatives to the agency management to organize the process of direct hiring of qualified candidates for CIO positions, ensure that contracts with them are concluded for a four-year period, and that such employees are not transferred to "non-private" positions.^[5]

10 Challenges to Next-Generation Chief information officer

What factors put pressure on Chief information officer and what trends are rapidly changing the business environment - in the material TAdviser.

2017

Change Chief information officer role and requirements

Increasingly, there are claims that at the peak of demand, a new generation of IT managers who work not "from the capabilities of IT systems," but from business tasks. What is this new generation and what specific changes have occurred in the profession Chief information officer - TAdviser dealt with experts.

Technology Development Controls Move Away From CIO

VMware published the results of a new study in March 2017 Vanson ^[6]. According to him, more than two-thirds (71%) of managers believe that technology management, which was previously carried out by the IT department, is transferred to other departments. This is due to the fact that in Russian companies business areas are increasingly taking control of the development of innovations based on IT (more).

Key tasks Chief information officers

The entire technology sector recognizes the importance of innovation and its positive impact on the development of both individual companies and entire industries. But at the same time, there are quite certain problems associated with the most effective use of innovative solutions and the timely adjustment of business strategies of enterprises^[7].

Trace3 Vice President Mark Campbell on The Enterprises Project lists four main trends on which Chief information officer should focus their attention in the coming year. His recommendations were based on personal experience working with medium and large enterprises that are Trace3 clients.

Information security and robots

Chief information officer should take into account that their companies spend a lot of money on building information security systems for users, but users themselves are no longer just people inside the perimeter of the network. The widespread use of public and hybrid clouds has led to the fact that the list of users includes partners, clients and even applications that constantly interact with each other. Moreover, "smart" bots have long passed any identification, including multifactorial.

In 2017, bots will play an even more active role in supporting customers. In particular, using machine learning techniques, robots can "learn" technical guides and find the right methods of fault detection and repair. Replacing expensive people with cheap bots that do not need to pay salaries allows companies to save a lot of money, so Chief information officer are increasingly using machine solutions wherever possible technically.

Finally, robots become participants in financial transactions - they can manage money, especially in cloud-based business solutions. This creates additional threats that must be taken into account in the information security concept of the company, including so that robots do not squander corporate funds.

Data Storage, Processing and Visualization

One of the main tasks of managers of all levels is to convince their management to allocate the necessary funds for their business initiatives. There are many software solutions that allow you to present any data in the form of graphs or diagrams. However, even this form is often too difficult for a non-technical audience.

In particular, the speaker should be able to change views quickly if required by an audience with limited time to make a decision. If, due to inability to quickly interpret the data, management makes an erroneous decision, then everyone will suffer as a result.

It is important to understand that the right forecast begins to play a critical role in gaining a competitive advantage, which requires management to make quick decisions that do not immediately have an effect. For example, it is Chief information officer important to convince bosses to allocate resources to build a new infrastructure long before the old one reaches critical power levels.

You should also consider the inevitable changes in the approach to data warehousing. For many years, IT has sought to combine information from various departments of the company into a single structure, which required additional work to normalize data.

Now Chief information officers prefer to use decentralized models, allowing different information to be stored in different repositories. They do not see anything terrible if sales reports are stored on the server of the sales department, and information about employees is stored on the resources allocated to the HR department. The data necessary for processing and analysis is collected throughout the enterprise without moving to the central storage.

At the same time, abandoning the central storage is impractical. True, it is not used for business analysis, but exclusively for optimizing IT procedures, since they allow managers to quickly determine the source of possible technical problems.

Containers

Containers have long been used successfully in the corporate sector to optimize the company's IT infrastructure. But the expert again draws the attention of Chief information officers to this technology.

In his opinion, in 2017, one of the main problems to be solved by Chief information officers will be the integration of containers into all layers of the IT infrastructure. The main goal of this procedure is to ensure the maximum efficiency and security of all workflows.

Backup

IT departments spent more than $17 billion last year backing up data so that critical information is not lost or damaged. This high cost is due to the fact that most companies have to maintain multiple vaults that contain copies of the same files.

Campbell is confident that in 2017, experienced Chief information officers will understand that their companies pay too much to duplicate unnecessary information in multiple storage systems. It is much more effective to operate with one copy of all data for generating reports and other analytical documentation, without affecting the overall operating environment in any way.

2015: New model of IT management in the organization and the role of Chief information officer

2014: Professional standard approved in Russia Chief information officer

The profession "Information Technology Manager" has officially appeared in Russia. The professional standard with this name was entered into the National Register of Professional Standards on October 17, 2014^[8].

According to an entry on the Professional Standards website owned by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the profession "Information Technology Manager" is included in the category of heads and senior officials of state governing bodies (code 112) and representative offices and heads of institutions, organizations and enterprises (code 121).

Thus, the professional standard "IT Manager" describes the labor duties of officials from the head of a specialized IT division in the company to the Chief information officer of a corporation or government authority.

As possible names of positions in the text of the professional standard, names are given from the IT director and deputy general director for IT to the head of the software department, the head of the database management team.

The standard requires IT managers to obtain a higher education with a specialist or master's degree and recommends improving their qualifications in personnel management programs, budget, etc.

The labor functions described in the professional standard are generally called IT resource management and services. They outline the full range of tasks already performed by Chief information officers and business unit managers, from process organization to budget planning for enterprise IT services.

The functionality of the IT director (deputy general director for IT) is described in the standard as work on the IT strategy (formation of goals, organization of work, allocation of resources, control and analysis of results); Working with IT project portfolios Change management in the information environment Managing relationships with information suppliers and consumers personnel management; serving the information environment and IT risk management.

The new professional standard was developed within the framework of the federal program initiated by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 597 of May 7, 2012.

In addition to the professional standard "IT Manager" on the website of the Ministry of Labor, information appeared on the introduction of several more specialties related to information technology into the National Register of Professional Standards.

These are the "Database Administrator," which entered the registry on October 15, 2014, the "Software Development Manager," which entered the registry on October 17, 2014, and the "Automated Production Control Systems Specialist," published on October 22, 2014.

In addition, in April 2014, information on the approval of standards for three more IT specialties appeared on the professional standards website: Programmer, Information Resources Specialist (site administrator) and Information Technology Testing Specialist.

2013

CEOs entrust Chief information officers with business tasks

CIO magazine published in early 2013 an analysis of the tasks that CEOs of companies around the world will set for their Chief information officers. The publication's forecast is based on a survey among leading CEOs and an analysis of their statements.

According to this study, the main task of IT departments and their managers will be to ensure the proper level of adaptability in a rapidly changing world. In practice, this means that CIO and its subordinates will have to work to increase business profits and develop a competitive advantage through technology.

The Chief information officer role in the company has undergone a massive change in recent years, the study claims. In 2013, IT changes will be key to the success of some companies. The division into technology and business is no longer relevant, and now IT "itself has become a business," the authors of the study believe. At the same time, CEOs became more aware of information technology.

The opportunity to increase profits in 2013 will appear in companies that will master the recently appeared spaces, for example, mobile and social. According to the expectation of leading CEOs, it is precisely these sectors of the CIO market that should focus their attention, and it will be on them that the company's success in new areas will depend. The development of the mobile and social segment of the market will allow the company not only to present new products, but also to strengthen relations with its customers and find new ones.

A more traditional task for Chief information officers, announced by the CEO in 2013, will be to reduce costs. According to the authors of the study, this year CIO will have many opportunities to make IT a more efficient service and reduce its costs. Cloud technologies, which became mainstream in the world of IT in 2012, and security systems that will reduce the number of unforeseen risks, will help them do this.

Differences between CIO and CEO

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) manages the organization, defines the strategic directions of its development and is a leader for employees of the organization implementing its mission. The Head of IT Department (CIO) manages his division, defines strategic directions of technology development to support the business and is the leader for his subordinates in solving technological problems and achieving the goals set for the division^[9]

Theoretically, it may seem that the CEO and CIO have a lot in common. In many organizations, it is. However, there are some differences, and often they are the source of trouble. This problem is illustrated by the results of recent studies. The first is a survey of several hundred CIOs who were asked what they thought the CEOs wanted from them next year. In fact, the answers are inspiring in the sense that CIOs have managed to put themselves in the place of their CEOs. Most often, the following five answers were given:

• help the company reach a certain level of profitability;
• complete a major corporate project;
• Promote customer engagement and retention
• simplify IT;
• Offer product updates.

These responses demonstrate a certain susceptibility of CIOs to the initiatives and actions most speculated upon by the CEO. However, showing such susceptibility and taking the actions dictated by it are two different things.

CIO's top priorities for 2014 are:

• Data Management and Business Intelligence
• Mobility, including management, security, tablets, and app stores
• development of applications, including for enterprise resource management () ERP and customer relations (); CRM
• cloud computing, including public, private, and hybrid clouds;
• security, including virus protection, single sign-on, firewalls, and virtual private networks (VPNs).

The 2014 CIO Priority List contains initiatives and projects that many companies need. Or, if anything, need to improve what they already have. So at the technology level, the answers received are quite understandable.

It's just that these are not things that can make CEOs and other members of management admire the work of the IT department. And while, strictly speaking, it's not CIO's business to make the CEO admire IT achievements, those CIOs who want to change things in their organizations should be doing it.

So what's the problem? The problem is that the mismatch of CEO and CIO priorities inevitably leads, at best, to misunderstandings in assessing the usefulness of IT for the organization. And at worst, to the termination of communication between the chief executive officer and the head of the IT department and to the loss of confidence in the first to the second. Both are very difficult to recover. Both are bad for the organization and for CIO's career.

The good news is that there is a way to solve this problem.

First, it is good if the CEO and CIO take the time to delve into each other's tasks and understand how these tasks affect the perception of the world around them. At first glance, this is simple, but in reality it is completely different.

The main difficulty is that this can only be done in one way - to spend some time together. In this case, what I mean by spending time together is more than weekly or monthly meetings to assess the situation or having a corresponding item on the agenda of the twice-monthly management meetings. Rather, it means that both leaders need to set aside and spend time describing and explaining to each other what they are doing, why they are doing it and how much it can make a difference for each of them to move forward.

Try to approach the case as follows. Have you ever managed to establish fruitful relationships, business or personal, in such a way that it did not take a specially allocated time to get deeper into the course of affairs of another person? Of course, given the tight work schedules, it will be difficult to carve out the time for conversation. But if you do find it, it will pay big dividends in the future.

Second, once understanding is reached, it is important that the CIO and CEO agree on issues and decisions that they now know affect both of them. There is no need to agree on all issues and decisions. This applies only to those who require support and orders of the second person. It's also easier said than done. But if there is some practice and as experience builds up, and both parties are willing to share information frankly, if the need arises, it can be done.

There will always be differences between the CEO and CIO. But they can be smoothed out if both sides make some early efforts for this, which will benefit the entire organization.

2012

7 qualities that the Chief information officer should possess

List of seven leadership skills that the Chief information officer must have to obtain a result. Graham Waller, George Hallenbeck and Karen Rubenstrunk are the authors of "The CIO Edge: Seven Leadership Skills You Need to Drive Results." They argue that the success or failure of Chief information officer is determined mainly by his skills as a leader and human qualities^[10].

It is important that the Chief information officer of partners with its subordinates, colleagues and external partners, quickly adapting to the current situation. And of course, always keep your finger on the pulse.

"Any Chief information officer understands that in order to achieve results and successfully solve key tasks, it is necessary to organize effective IT process management," Waller notes. - It is also clear that the set goals cannot be achieved without competent leadership of people. But many don't realise how important the link between these two strands is. "

Key skills that determine Chief information officer success.

1. Leadership skills. They should be put at the forefront, everything else is secondary. Research by Gartner and Korn/Ferry has shown that the most effective IT managers clearly understand that all issues are handled by people, through interaction with them and with their help. And these are not empty words.

2. Understanding that leadership is a collective process. In the leadership process, you cannot rely only on your own thoughts. In the management process and in choosing the optimal solution, the Chief information officer relies not only on its own "highest intelligence" and analytical abilities.

3. Leadership and interpersonal relationships. Paradoxically, effective Chief information officers gain even more influence, loosening control and thereby opening up management vulnerabilities. This helps them create strong personal connections that allow them to have the right impact on people both inside and outside the organization.

4. The right relationship. Their formation is necessary to obtain the correct results. An efficient Chief information officer spends a lot of his time and effort managing relationships with colleagues, external suppliers and customers, which allows you to continue to get amazing results.

5. Interaction with subordinates. The best Chief information officers understand that subordinates are watching their actions closely. The manager is always in the public eye. Demonstrating the clarity of their intentions, consistency, consistency and the necessary passion, the Chief information officer conveys information in such a way that others not only understand it, but also feel it. It is necessary to form an emotional background that would help to act correctly.

6. Influence on others. With due attention and stimulation, most people increase labor productivity. The best Chief information officers create an atmosphere that brings people together, helping them understand how an enterprise can strengthen its position in the market space, and feel the significance of its contribution to the common cause.

7. Building people, not systems. By improving the people around them, Chief information officer increase their potential and create the conditions for high results. Nurturing the next generation of leaders is the best they can do for an organization while preserving a long memory of themselves.

Communication skills, according to the authors, become a powerful driver and help people meet their expectations and achieve maximum IT returns.

Gartner: The mindset of enterprise architectures needs to be transformed

According to analysts, Gartner the corporate architecture of most companies does not meet the requirements of time and does not fully benefit from operating activities. Design business processes needs to be dramatically revised to enable senior executives and IT executives to make better decisions.

Brian Burke, vice president of research at Gartner, believes that the classic principles of organizing enterprises in modern conditions are not always optimal. Enterprise architecture should help achieve better business performance and meet IT and business requirements.

mindset of developers and creators of enterprise architectures needs to be transformed," notes Burke. "It is important to focus on solving key business development challenges and responding quickly to threats, on the one hand, and new opportunities, on the other."

The steps to be taken should be effective and measurable, aimed at achieving very concrete results and inextricably linked to the main functional components of IT and business. First of all, these are finance, personnel, business information (Business Information - BI), business process management (Business Process Management - BPM), portfolios and projects (Program and Portfolio Management - PPM). Gartner highlights five main steps that are designed to help functionaries get the most out of business benefits. To achieve the best results, it is necessary to optimally allocate labor, time and financial resources.

1. Measure. According to the study, less than 44% of organizations have clear metrics that connect business results with the organization of business processes.

2. Act. All internal corporate changes should have a direct impact on the achievement of business goals and the satisfaction of investors.

3. Analyze. Before introducing any innovations, IT and business should be able to assess the consequences of the actions taken - there are models and analytical tools for this.

4. Provide opportunities. The starting point for making weighted business decisions should be information from various sources - performance metrics, PPM reports, BPM business process diagrams.

5. Match. Each elementary link in the corporate architecture should serve to fulfill the tasks outlined at higher levels.

Importance of CIO role to business

Many companies are starting to manage their IT department in a way that can eliminate the very need for an IT manager, at least in a form recognized by most organizations.

Within the framework of the 2012 Chief Information Officer Leadership Forum held in the fall of 2012, CIOs from various organizations and enterprises discussed not only the future role of IT managers, but also whether this position will continue in the future. It was not that IT management is no longer necessary, it is just that IT is so strongly integrated [into operations] that it becomes impossible to separate them from business processes.

The alarming situation for Chief information officers is aggravated by the fact that in the wake of the increase in the consumer component in IT and the growing use of external "shadow" IT services ("shadow" services - products and services used by employees that are not officially approved by the IT department, for example ICQ), business departments now regularly solve their tasks without involving their own IT resources of the company, which extremely complicates the efforts of Chief information officers to control the situation.

'The role of IT manager is on track to disappear in the next few years, 'said Juvi Kochar, chief technology officer at the Washington Post. - We really need to change something, since no one is satisfied with the [situation with] IT; business openly expresses dissatisfaction '.

traditional role of CIO should be a thing of the past, 'agrees Joseph Spagnoletti, Chief information officer of Campbell Soup Company. 'We have to move towards a consulting approach [in our work] '.

However, if the chronic need for change is practically not controversial for anyone, then there is no agreement on the specific forms in which these changes should manifest themselves.

Chief information officers have long been criticized for being too passionate about infrastructure, to the detriment of information management. IT organizations regularly conducted business cases to help them lead the management of all information within the corporation.

'The real goal should be to improve data usage, 'said Saad Ayub, Chief information officer of Scholastic. - You need to understand the distinction between demand generation and demand management. That's why we're looking for people with experience as business advisers. "

However, many IT managers believe that the situation is much more complicated.

the Chief information officer is in charge of the information, he lost, 'Spagnoletti believes. 'You need to start thinking as an investor about your own company, which means you need to focus more on business results'.

According to Spagnoletti, it is necessary to spend less time arguing over who manages the data, and more time on helping users to extract commercial benefits from this data. "The task is to become a conductor, not a watchman," said Spagnoletti. - The work of the IT department should be evaluated based on the results that the business receives, and not on the efforts spent. Only in this case will senior business leaders treat you as an equal '. Unfortunately, according to Spagnoletti, since too few IT professionals understand this requirement, too many of them show signs of a victim complex. Even worse, Spagnoletti believes that ultimately IT organizations are invested in technologies that, from a business point of view, will never be able to provide a real return on initial investments.

In fact, as the role of Chief information officer continues to transform, IT leaders may prefer to take a seat in the highest management body of the company, provided that they behave accordingly. This means that instead of trying to align IT strategy with business objectives, they will focus on helping to define corporate values ​ ​ and long-term objectives.

'The problem with the concept of aligning IT with business requirements is that it involves subordinating IT to business, 'said Nick Kolisto, Chief information officer of major construction company Hovnanian Enterprises and author of' The CIO Playbook '. According to Kolisto, IT leaders should work out a plan that would ensure their place in the top management of the company, an essential part of which should be the creation of business cases that promote the importance of IT for the rest of the business. "Do not consider business managers as buyers of your services, approach them as equal," Kolisto urged.

According to Auyuba, the goal should be to create a situation in which IT will be used to transform the company's business model. In many cases, this means developing new products and services that can increase a company's revenue. 'Almost always, it requires [IT] participation as part of a sales team to help explain the substance and benefits of these new products and services,' Ayub noted. 'The problem is that most companies lack a mechanism to enable this kind of business innovation to emerge '.

In the case of Rob Hillard, chief technology officer at publisher Reader's Digest, this has led him to spend more time outside the IT department. 'I'm out of my office for most of my time now, engaging with the marketing department and promoting the ideas we've come to in IT,' Hillard recounted.

Successful Chief information officers of the future will ultimately be forced to create their own job descriptions and determine their content. The only thing that is already clear today is that over time, this role becomes critical to the business, regardless of what the title is: Chief information officer or something else.

See also

• Chief Data Officer (CDO)
• Chief Digital Officer, CDO
• CIO (Chief Information Officer)
• Chief information security officer (CISO)
• CFO - Chief Financial Officer
• System Administrator
• Data scientist

Notes