point
Menu
Magazines
Browse by year:
CIOs are now Expected to be Masters of All Trades
SI Team
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Who said that, the CIOs are the ones responsible for an organization’s processes and practices supporting the flow of information? Their role is manifold, taking cognizance of the current competitive business environment. In a bid to make the best of the growth opportunities, the CIO’s role in organizations has turned critical. As per the research firm Gartner, it is the trait to manage the operations while grabbing the opportunities with an entrepreneurial mindset that makes the CIOs reel out better profits.

"For IT leaders, entrepreneurial growth and the shift from a 'problem-focused' organization to one that is 'opportunity-focused' require more planning and execution than simply changing the organization chart," Gartner vice-president, Jorge Lopez says.

Entrepreneurial IT organizations must maintain a dual focus of achieving targeted growth while running the current business. Building new sources of revenue and positioning the business for dominance in the new venture is an entrepreneurial task and this requires an equally entrepreneurial CIO to grab the opportunity.

According to Gartner, there are two key tools that the CIO must employ to satisfy the ambitions for entrepreneurial growth; frameworks that set the agenda and actions for change. The entrepreneurial scope assessment framework enables CIOs and other business executives to evaluate the magnitude of the opportunity and understand the scope of the task facing IT, as well as other business units.

However, the analysts also point out the intricacies involved in donning this entrepreneurial role. "The greatest conflict faced by entrepreneurial CIOs will be the tension between the team that is focused on the entrepreneurial opportunities and the team that is focused on 'keeping the lights on’. Both must function effectively in an environment of elevated risk. Failing on either responsibility is unacceptable and highly dangerous for the business," Lopez says.
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
facebook