Saturday, June 9, 2018

The Monthly CIO Debates Collection & “Digital IT” Tuning: Is CIO Generalist or Specialist June 2018

Debating is not for stimulating conflicts, but for brainstorming better ways to do things.
Due to the changing nature of technology, IT leadership role also continues to involve & shift the focus, to move up the maturity level. More and more CIOs are requested to take more responsibility and many CIOs present the breadth of leadership competency. The proactive IT debates help IT leaders to brainstorm better ways to do things and improve management capabilities. Here are the monthly CIO debates collections.


Is CIO Generalist or Specialist

Shall a CIO be a General Manager of IT or a SME of all IT Domains? Today’s CIOs have multiple roles to play and take broader leadership responsibilities in transforming their organizations. Should a CIO be a general manager of IT or a subject matter expert (SME) of all IT domains?

Are you an “Atypical CIO” or a “Stereotypical CIO”? Traditional IT organizations have been perceived as technical support centers and help desks, and traditional CIOs have been portrayed as technology geeks to keep the lights on. Nowadays, businesses are on the journey of digital transformation, and IT is also on the way to transform from a cost center to a value creator. CIOs as digital leaders today, what’s your self-reflection? Are you an “Atypical CIO” or a “Stereotypical CIO”? Are you a transformational leader or a transactional manager? What’s your leadership strength and how to lead IT as a changing organization of the business.

Where do CIOs Come From? Compare to the other executive positions, the CIO position has a shorter history, but a more dynamic role to play due to the continuous changes of information & technology. Although the “DNA of CIO” is still a bit stereotypical from industry survey, the digital trend is that more and more CIOs have diversified experience and colorful background, working across functional and industrial boundaries, from technologist to artist; from entrepreneur to consultant, from business strategist to talent manager, where do CIOs come from and what makes a great CIO?

The CIO's Self-Reflection: Are you a technologist or business leader? Due to the changing nature of technology, the CIO role continues to be shaken up, refined, reinvented and reenergized; CIOs also have to do self-reflection: are you a tactical IT manager or business strategist? Are you a technology specialist or a specialized generalist? Are you an order taker or a senior business advisor, are you a technologist or business leader? Are they mutually exclusive? If not, shall you, or can you become both?

What are Qualities and Skill Set to Fill CIO Role CIOs today need to play a different role and wear multiple hats, therefore, they come from different background, take diverse career path, there’s no one size fitting all skill or stereotypical image to portray a modern CIO, however, there are certain leadership qualities and desired skill set to fill the role.

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