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The Chief Information Officer's Corner What is a CIO? CIO is generally a senior executive charged with aligning the firm's strategic concerns with its information systems architecture. Increasing emphasis on the "information" component requires a more business-oriented, and cross-functional perspective. [Also see Gartner Group's CIO Position Description.
The Changing Role of the Chief Information Officer [Excerpts from Korn/Ferry Study] Broad Tech Knowledge Is Key To Becoming CIO CIO on the CIO Role Compilation of previously published articles from the CIO magazine that address the profession and the future of the CIO career. Career Management: Survival of the Fittest (Pastore Nov 1 '96) CEOs Click On IT Does the business executive's (CEO's) increasing interest in, and knowledge of IS, invoke a feeling of deja vu? Emerging Techno-CEOs' struggle for 'control' with the CIO reminds one of the End-Users' increasing preponderance with the advent of the client-server and the EUC. The Chief Learning Officer: New Title for New Times Several companies have instituted the title of the CLO (or are in the process of doing so) with increasing realization of the value of the "intellectual assets" for the firm's competitiveness. If this role represents the future stage on the evolutionary path of CIO is still a moot issue. CIO on the CIO Role Compilation of articles from CIO magazine on the changing role of the CIOs and related issues. The CIO Role: The Truth About CIO Turnover (Batz, CIO, Nov. 1, 1996) "CIO does NOT stand for career is over. Exclusive research from CIO and Human Resource Executive magazines debunks that and other myths about IS executive job longevity." The CIO Role: The Missing Piece: CIOs Need Consulting Skills Given increasing intertwining of the business and technology performance puzzle, CIOs need to possess the 'consulting' skills for bridging the chasm between IS and the user departments. Major Issues Facing Information Systems Managers - A Comparison of National and Mid-Atlantic CIOs Chief Knowledge Officers Leverage Information (Information Week, Sep. 29, 1997) CIO Wannabes (Information Week, May 15, 1995) CIOs need a good business background, excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to motivate people. Getting to the CIO position may require a track record of proven successes over a 10-20 year duration. Coming Soon: The CKO (Chief Knowledge Officer): Davenport One of the earlier articles by Davenport heralding the rise of the CKO to manage the 'unstructured information.' With the move from the 'information society' to the 'knowledge society,' is this a natural progression for the CIO? In more recent articles (1996) Davenport argues differently: in his view the role of the CKO is more geared for the social scientist than for the technologist. Can the CIO rise up to the challenge? A Contingency-Based Approach To Assessing The Concept Of The Chief Information Officer (Burbridge & Boyle) A contingency model derived from a literature review includes ten factors -- environmental, organizational, and strategic -- for determining the need for a CIO. Critical Success Factors For Establishing and Maintaining the Position of Chief Information Officer (Boyle) An analysis based upon the literature and the review of the Fortune 1000 suggest some factors that influence the need for the CIO and the likelihood for the CIO's success. Delicate Negotiations: CIOs Need Negotiating Skills Negotiating requires a change of attitude from a 'winner takes all' attitude to balancing of competing interests where the winnings are shared. The key requirements of the process include being open to divergent views to prevent premature closure, a focus on the shared goals and thinking how the 'compromise solution' could benefit everyone involved. Everything I Thought I Knew About Leadership Is Wrong (Mort Meyerson), Fast Company Reflecting upon the inadequacy of the 'old' leadership style at EDS, Meyerson narrates how he went about rediscovering the definition of leadership in his new role as the chief of Perot Systems. A surprising conclusion coming from the chief of a world leader of technology: "Today I believe that leaders need to be good at psychology-- starting with self-knowledge." How Much Do You Think About the Information? (Lundberg) The CIO editor questions the existing overemphasis of the CIOs on 'technology' coupled with sparse attention on the 'information' needs. She attributes the spate of IS implementation failures to this 'imbalance.' Left-Out CIOs The "left-out CIO" syndrome is characterized by lesser and lesser involvement of the CIOs in the firm's strategic planning initiative coupled with aggressive inroads by the business executives in spearheading the strategic technology efforts. Does this 'catch-22' situation represent the 'death spiral' for the CIO's relevance to the organization? Lessons in Leadership: SIM's Class of '96 What are the skills sought among the up and coming CIOs? What kind of boot camp is run by the SIM for gearing up the IT leaders for the future? Also, review what is the hot study material for the CIO-wannabe's. Over The Rainbow Needed: Visionary CIOs who can make sense of new technologies from the business perspective, while maintaining balanced expectations of the business people. Sitting in the Hot Seat Micahel Earl observes that the "CIO today needs to be number one, a politician, and number two, someone who can deliver." The increasingly business-oriented role imposes upon the CIO the need for relationship-building and bridging the business-technology gap. Strategic Management -- Changing Role Of The CIO (Information Week, March 24, 1997) As technology becomes central to business, the CIO becomes a key mover in the ranks of upper management. Various Shades of the CIO The CIO Magazine provides a remarkable coverage of the 'business-oriented' traits increasingly demanded of the Information Executive. Some of the recent issues included discussions on issues such as IS Outsourcing Relationships, IS Risk Management, Groupware, and thought profile of some leading-edge management experts. What It Takes To Be CIO Increasing pace of change and fast-paced evolution of technology makes the CIO's job ever-challenging than ever before. The key emphasis is on the greater need for business-orientation of the CIO. Where Are They Now? "Does CIO stand for Career Is Over?" This article profiled the ongoing success of the CIOs who had come up as the movers and shakers. Perhaps, the story could have benefited from a more balanced picture of the status of the 'accomplishments' of these veterans. For instance, Kodak's and Digital's outsourcing contracts that marked 'watershed' events in the IS industry were followed by acrimonious law suits by the 'sourced-out' employees. Moreover, the jury is still out on the 'projected benefits' of the long term contracts.
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