CIOs must evolve to stave off existential threat to their role
For
CIOs
to
hold
their
own,
Sharma
says
IT
leaders
can’t
stop
at
business
acumen,
but
instead
must
develop
great
interpersonal
skills
and
be
able
to
lead
people
in
a
cross-functional
and
cross-geographical
environment.
For
CIOs
to
hold
their
own,
Sharma
says
IT
leaders
can’t
stop
at
business
acumen,
but
instead
must
develop
great
interpersonal
skills
and
be
able
to
lead
people
in
a
cross-functional
and
cross-geographical
environment.
They
should
also
be
able
to
leverage
emerging
technologies
to
lend
business
a
competitive
edge.
To
do
this
in
his
former
roles
as
CIO,
Sharma
created
a
cross-functional
decision
committee
comprising
functional
leaders,
such
as
the
CFO
and
CHRO,
and
technical
leaders,
such
as
the
CIO
or
head
of
applications.
“That
helped
in
democratizing
the
process
and
enabling
a
smooth
sale
though
and
execution
of
any
project,”
he
says.
Gangavarapu
says
such
efforts
are
vital
for
addressing
this
trend,
which
includes
“a
shift
in
technology
resources’
mindset
to
a
new
direction
by
preparing
them
to
blend
into
the
LOBs
through
awareness,
training,
and
a
culture
shift.
Besides
recruiting
a
digital-savvy
workforce
for
the
future
that
is
aligned
to
customer
expectations,
CIOs
should
themselves
gear
up
to
become
an
advisory
function,”
he
says.
To
do
this,
Gangavarapu
has
established
a
digital
council
at
Northern
Beaches
Council
to
get
the
board,
which
consists
of
15
Councillors
who
are
elected
by
the
community,
to
buy
into
his
vision
and
direction.
He
is
updating
the
workforce
strategy
and
capability
framework,
which
outlines
the
digital
skills
expected
of
each
new
hire
based
on
their
role.
“We
are
decentralizing
budget
from
IT
back
to
individual
business
units
where
they
have
ownership
and
drive
the
lifecycle
of
the
contract
and
services.
We
also
embed
skills
into
LOB
resources
on
an
ongoing
basis
so
that
they
are
equipped
to
handle
technology
changes,
compliance,
and
regulatory
shifts
around
technology,”
he
says.
“Here
IT
is
taking
an
advisory
role
and
LOBs
are
taking
the
lead.
By
connecting
LOBs
to
market
innovators
in
respective
areas,
with
IT
support,
we
encourage
innovation.”
According
to
Gangavarapu,
these
initiatives
have
resulted
in
quite
a
few
LOBs
being
self-sufficient
and
running
their
own
digital
initiatives
with
centralized
coordination
from
IT.
Measuring
progress
during
this
journey,
he
shares
that
“employee
engagement
went
up
by
9%,
wellbeing
up
by
13%,
progress
up
by
18%,
and
customer
satisfaction
score
shift
from
71%
in
2019
to
88%
in
2022.”
What
the
future
CIO
role
could
look
like
It
is
a
given
that
CIOs
in
the
future
will
perform
beyond
their
IT
functions.
With
the
recent
pandemic
and
the
increasing
push
for
digital
transformation,
CIOs
are
already
wearing
multiple
hats
to
help
evolve
the
business.
“CIOs
are
now
required
to
become
a
marketing
strategist,
a
business
analyst,
a
finance
advisor,
and
an
operation
expert
while
delivering
their
core
expertise
as
an
IT
champion.
This
is
the
way
ahead
and
CIOs
need
to
keep
on
upgrading,
reskilling,
and
upskilling
to
stay
relevant,”
Osman
says.
Going
forward,
there
will
be
opportunities
for
CIOs
to
step
into
other
CXO
functions
to
add
value
and
stay
relevant,
and
this
imperative
will
apply
to
all
other
technology
resources
who
will
realise
that
they
cannot
work
siloed
in
a
standalone
IT
business
unit
anymore
but
must
be
embedded
in
the
LOB,
understand
context,
and
be
able
to
add
value.
As
Gangavarapu
says,
“Digital
and
technology
function
will
get
embedded
into
LOBs
driving
strategies
and
offering
products
and
services
for
the
digital
world.
The
function
of
information
technology
teams
will
reduce
as
quite
a
few
will
move
to
the
LOBs
and
IT
will
end
up
running
the
plumbing
works
such
as
infrastructure,
communications,
and
cybersecurity.
[Cross-functional
teams]
will
become
a
core
ingredient
of
a
succeeding
in
a
digital
world.”
And
this
shift
to
embedded
IT
will
further
transform
the
CIO
role,
Gangavarapu
says.
“Driving
digital
adoption
in
business
is
easier
being
a
part
of
business
rather
than
driving
from
IT,
as
it
is
seen
as
external
—
someone
is
doing
this
to
us
—
instead,
‘We
are
driving
this’;
hence,
CIOs
must
start
picking
up
roles
in
LOBs
with
various
titles
such
as
chief
translation
officer,
chief
digital
advisory
officer,
or
chief
innovation
officer,”
he
says.
IT
leaders
not
willing
to
change
may
soon
be
out
of
luck,
Sharma
says,
as
he
sees
the
CIO
role
getting
replaced,
unless
they
acquire
the
necessary
skills
to
remain
relevant,
by
that
of
a
chief
transformation
officer,
who
would
work
closely
with
the
CEO
and
act
as
a
bridge
between
the
CIO
office
and
LOBs.
“The
chief
transformation
officers
will
identify
business
transformation
opportunities
within
the
enterprise
and
will
work
closely
with
the
business.
The
arrangement
would
be
such
that
the
ownership
of
the
project
will
lie
with
the
respective
LOBs
while
the
company-level
value
creation
and
competitive
edge
will
be
jointly
shared
between
them,”
he
says,
adding
that
the
CIO
could
become
the
chief
custodian
or
chief
architect,
and
if
unable
to
add
any
value
to
the
board,
the
CIO
may
end
up
reporting
to
the
chief
transformation
officer.
IDC’s
Lai
agrees.
“I
believe
the
role
of
the
CIO
will
evolve
to
being
a
chief
business
technology
officer
role,
which
many
CIOs
may
find
challenging,
but
is
one
where
they
are
partners
to
the
business
to
deliver
on
the
promise
of
new
digital
business
and
operating
models,”
he
says.
“C-level
executives
are
increasing
their
focus
on
profitability
and
improved
operational
efficiency
by
concentrating
on
enhancing
employee
productivity,
innovation,
and
time
to
market,”
he
says.
“If
CIOs
are
to
play
a
technology/business
orchestration
role
in
the
leadership
team,
part
of
that
effort
will
involve
building
or
strengthening
relationships
with
business
counterparts.”
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