The CIO’s role in business strategy
As technology becomes increasingly important in driving success, CIOs need to demonstrate their agility and move seamlessly between a functional role to become a strategic business leader.
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In our digital world, CIOs must help their companies utilise technology as a business differentiator, delivering innovative systems and services that are inextricably linked to business goals and objectives. As we see advances in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and other digital technologies, IT becomes integral to every companies' products and services, as IT has moved from the back office to centre stage!
According to research by Deloitte, CEOs primarily look for tech leaders who can help them navigate their organisations through times of change and state that the most important work experience, background, and talent they look for include:
84% look for experience in change transformation, optimising external service providers and start-ups
75% look for skills in stability and strategic alignment, consulting, operational delivery and record of running a P&L
64% look for advanced degrees in engineering/ science or business and global experience to provide a competitive edge
The changing role of the CIO
The modern role of the CIO has evolved greatly as advances in technology and digital data dominate the business landscape. Now working alongside their C-suite level peers, CIOs are needed to create digital business models necessary for survival in the 21st century digital economy. To drive value, CIOs need to acquire a new set of skills and capabilities that support a broader role, with key transformation-driven skills including:
Business leadership
To help drive initiatives that generate business impact, the CIO needs to understand business strategy. The evolution of the CIO’s role from technology expert to business strategist is arguably the most dramatic shift in responsibilities than any other C-level role transition.
Being a change agent
CIOs will need to do more than just provide technological solutions, they will be required to fully immerse themselves in transformative projects and become change agents who will help their organisation adapt in a world driven by digital technologies.
Talent scouting
According to McKinsey’s IT strategy survey, nearly half of respondents cite skills gaps on traditional teams as the top obstacle to digital transformation. Not only will CIOs need to focus on attracting high-calibre IT talent, but also on retaining their top performers.
Culture revolutionary
Successful transformation relies on a supportive culture that embraces change and sees the benefit of collaboration across technology teams and other areas of the business. CIOs must act as an advocate for change and educate their workforce so that change initiatives are implemented from the ground up.
Knowledge transfer
CIOs must overcome resistance to technological changes from other stakeholders. It is fairly typical for CIOs to find themselves in a position where they’re having to prove the value of IT transformations, as they can be expensive and time-consuming to integrate. CIOs must play an active role in educating leaders about emerging tech, keeping them up to date on how investment in applications, software and processes will benefit the business.
5 ways CIOs can support digital transformation strategy
CIOs can effectively partner with departments across companies to enact change and drive digital transformation, as they can:
Make data and analytics a priority
The ability to analyse huge volumes of data has become integral to delivering valuable insights on consumer behaviour, KPI’s and the success of business and marketing operations.
Design digital transformation around business goals
CIOs have the capability to marry up transformative technologies with business goals and objectives so that organisations can consider the functionalities of new systems and processes and whether they align with their growth strategy before investing.
Take an enterprise-wide approach
To successfully implement change from the ground up, CIOs can empower IT to collaborate with other departments, digitalising their systems and processes to drive efficiency and make an impact across the organisation as a whole.
Expand the role of IT
CIOs can expand their influence across an organisation, overseeing technology and shifting their approach to a more consultative and collaborative role, as opposed to focusing solely on operations.
Transform talent acquisition
Digital tools can revolutionise the recruitment process and make a huge difference to businesses looking to grow and scale their tech teams. The right tech can help make the process of sourcing top talent quicker and easier, particularly during a time where finding candidate with the relevant skill sets is a challenge.
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How can we support tech leaders?
Contacting a recruiter that specialises in finding highly-proficient candidates in your technical roles will ensure you have the skills to hand to solve any of the emerging challenges of the post-pandemic world.
At DMCG Global we understand that filling highly technical roles demands deep knowledge of the industry, which is why our specialist consultants are thorough in truly understanding the requirements of each technology role. This approach ensures every candidate and client we introduce are a perfect match.
