The CIO's Dilemma

Bangalore: CIOs are caught between the tug-of-war ensuing between the management and the vendors each of whom has their own set of 'expert advice' that is being shoved down a CIO’s throat. The resultant challenges in meeting the expectations of various heads is so enormous that a CIO often ends up in losing his job, reports Michael Krigsman of ZDNet.

A contemporary CIO is laced with all sorts of traits that have become prerequisite for any organization eager to surge ahead in today’s competition. He is not only expected to reduce costs for the enterprise but also to formulate strategic business operations that might generate revenue for his company. At the same time, he is expected to drive innovation within the organization with the allotted budget which is found to be wanting at numerous times.

"CIOs must look at risk with a pragmatic lens, which is sometimes viewed as contrary to creativity and innovation," says Maurizio Laudisa, CIO of LifeLabs. "The cost of artistic creativity is often complexity and error; our delivery mandate can afford neither of those."

Now if we analyze the role of a CIO – both theoretically and practically – we come across many contradictions that loom over. For instance, although a CIO is supposedly viewed as a strategist, he devotes his time to the operations of the business also. Moreover, his chief role was that of an enabler of technologies rather than being the driver of business. On top of that, although IT is often tagged as the back-bone of an organization, yet surprisingly a CIO doesn’t have a place in the boardroom.

We can identify such contradictions with regards to the stakeholders, an organization as well as the industry’s assessment of a CIO which makes the job of the IT Head a herculean task. And the only feasible solution to crawl out of it is to hone their personal skills and build relationships transcending the organizational walls.

Therefore, a CIO can either mould themselves according to requirements of the organization or hunt for organizations that will appreciate and utilize their existent skill set. Whatever maybe the scenario, being a technologist, a leader and a diplomat is the need of the hour for a neoteric CIO.