Chief information officer has to be more than a title,
as business change demands greater agility from IT and a new view
of professionalism from IT management
The needs of modern business organisations for continuous
transformation demand a radical shift in the role and focus of the
IT organisation. That shift, essentially from technology service
supplier to business exploitation partner, requires the IT
organisation to adopt new competences, new relationships and new
ways of working within the business.
It is a clich‚ that the only constant is change. But for most
organisations, whether private or public, the ability to change
rapidly is the key to success, perhaps even survival. Budgetary and
competitive pressures, combined with technological change, make
business agility an absolute requirement.
Companies are faced with multiple changes in their operating
environment: globalisation, global outsourcing, mergers,
privatisation and increasing competition. All these trends require
rapid responses in the form of the development of new products and
services, cost reductions, changes in business processes and the
creation of new purchasing and sales channels.
To achieve the required level of agility, an organisation needs
structures, processes and systems designed for rapid change. In
particular it needs IT systems capable of changing in step with the
business changes. The IT architectures, not just the individual
system solutions, must be designed to facilitate flexibility and
rapid business change. That can only be achieved if the IT function
plays a full and active part in all stages of business planning and
transformation.
The traditional role of IT as a service function responding to
requirements formulated by the business will not meet the needs of
a modern organisation. The IT function, whether in-house or
outsourced, must be part of the business, working in partnership
with other functions to deliver business transformation and exploit
business opportunities.
That is not the case in many organisations. Too often the
existing IT systems inhibit, rather than facilitate, the company's
ability to change. Inflexible, monolithic systems, designed to
automate long outdated manual processes and to deliver service in a
world of paper rather than electronic communication, still tend to
be the order of the day.
And in too many organisations the IT function is still away from
the front-line action, seen by other parts of the business, and by
itself, as a service provider rather than a partner in the process
of effective business transformation.
This is not to suggest that the traditional role of the IT
function is unimportant. Sound systems engineering practice and the
efficient and effective procurement, deployment and management of
the technology are clearly vital. But they do not generally create
competitive edge for the business.
That is to be found in the innovative application of information
and communication technology to the needs of the business, to
exploit opportunity and to facilitate business transformation. It
is in that area that the IT organisation has to play a stronger,
more proactive game if businesses are to achieve their full
potential.
The need for this shift from IT management to IT exploitation
has been recognised in the creation over recent years of the role
of the chief information officer. CIOs are now found in most
organisations of any size, in both the public and private
sectors.
However, a quick look at the job advertisements suggests that in
many cases it is only the title that has changed; the underlying
job specification still looks like that of a traditional IT
manager.
That may be part of the reason why a Gartner survey last year
found that the typical CIO has less influence on strategy than any
other equivalent level manager except the HR director.
So there is much yet to be done, both to change the image and
function of the IT organisation and to equip IT professionals to
meet the demands of wider responsibilities. In particular, the IT
professional of the future, at all levels in the IT organisation,
will require a much broader set of skills and competences than in
the past. Leadership capability, business planning and change
management skills will be essential, as will the full range of soft
skills needed for successful business transformation and
organisational change.
The implications in all of this extend well beyond the IT
department. In particular there are profound implications for
academia, for everyone involved in IT skills development and, not
least, for the professional bodies like the BCS.
The development of a business focus for the IT organisation must
be matched by a similar development of the IT profession. The old
model of a profession concerned mainly with the technical and
engineering aspects of IT will not serve the needs of the IT
professionals of the future, their employers and customers, or the
wider community.
The new vision must be for an IT profession with a clear
business focus as well as its traditional technology focus. This
will be defined in terms of its ability to play a full part in all
stages of IT exploitation and business transformation and to have
appropriate non-technical skills, including management, business
and leadership skills, as core competences. The good news is that
work is in hand to develop that vision.
CV: Colin Thompson
Colin Thompson has been BCS deputy chief executive since 1998,
having previously worked in a number of senior positions within the
society, including membership director and marketing director.
He was responsible for managing the major changes to the
professional membership structure, including the new Chartered IT
Professional qualification introduced in May 2004, and is currently
responsible for the BCS Professionalism in IT programme.
A chartered surveyor, Colin worked in the public sector for 33
years - mainly in the Inland Revenue. He moved from property
valuation to information systems management in the 1980s and left
the Revenue as the deputy director for IT in 1992 to join the
BCS.
The BCSIT Professional Awards 2005
The BCSIT Professional Awards celebrate excellence, innovation
and professionalism among UKIT companies. They recognise the
contribution of businesses and individuals to the UK's economic
prosperity, business efficiency and public services.
There are five categories: Technology Awards, Business
Achievement Awards, Individual Excellence Awards, President's
Awards and Flagship Awards.
The judging is undertaken by panels of qualified, respected
senior ITprofessionals.
The BCS IT Professional Awards 2005 ceremony takes place on
Thursday 29 September at the Hilton Park Lane, London.
More information:
www.bcs.org/awards/professional