* Are you a CIO-in-waiting?
It is less important for CIOs of the future to run the day-to-day management of the IT infrastructure, as that role can be delegated to CTOs or to third-parties. Instead, CIOs of 2010 will be business executives challenged with monitoring and driving performance in business units, and be responsible – along with other top management – for the technology, strategy, marketing, production processes and finances of the company, according to a recent report “Grooming the 2010 CIO,” by the Society for Information Management’s Advanced Practices Council.
The report involved interviews with head hunters and with senior managers at companies including PepsiCo, Nissan, Philip Morris and Sherwin-Williams about their methods to develop CIO candidates from within. APC conducted the study to help its members plan for the expected CIO shortage. According to one participant of the study, there is less than half as many CIOs as needed to fill the expected shortage, and APC recommends companies identify and nurture future CIOs early in their careers. HR and the top management team help to identify and nurture the future CIO, but ultimately that responsibility lies with the incumbent CIO.
The report suggests that the 2010 CIO is more of a business expert than a technical one, but would still need a technical body of knowledge so as to remain credible to the CTO or business partners who may be charged with running the day-to-day aspect of the IT infrastructure. Some participants of the study said they now saw a clear path from the CIO position to the CEO job, a far cry from the view of just a few years ago when CIO were often seen as second choice to CFOs as the CEO heir-apparent.
CIOs would also be accountable for creating new products and services, and be involved in product development, not just product support, APC found. Overall, the CIO role would be that of a mini-CEO, but without the direct control, suggested one participant to the report.
In 2010 CIOs are required to:
* Assume multiple roles, particularly that of strategist, relationship architect and leader.
* Have business acumen, the ability to build relationships, and have leadership qualities.
Talented individuals with the right CIO traits should be developed through the use of formal training, on-the-job learning – through career ladder progression and stints in a wide range of business units, and through coaching and mentoring. The earlier the development begins, the more time the company has to identify and eliminate capability gaps in the chosen individual, the report suggests.
The study lists the following as best practices for developing CIOs:
* Development must be laddered and persistent. Leadership development is a journey that has to start early in an individual’s career and then be progressively reinforced through richer and more complex experiences.
* Development practices should emphasize rotation and development plans should be customized to fit the needs of the individual. Rotational assignments help to fill gaps in the three CIO capabilities: business acumen, relationship ability and leadership.
* Metrics should be used to assess the effectiveness of development programs as well as outcomes such as percentage of positions filled from within, turnover, etc.
* Not one single approach to development is likely to result in desired outcomes. Use a portfolio of development approaches.
The full report is available at the SIM Web site, but you need to be a member to access it.
