Public sector IT professionals must
aspire to the CIO role or recognise their careers may be
limited,
according to a report from public sector organisation
the Society of
Information Technology Management (Socitm).
"Ambitious IT professionals must set their sights on becoming
their organisation's CIO (chief information officer) and not
restrict themselves to chief technical officer (CTO) roles, which
are being diminished by the de-skilling of technology," the report
says.
The prediction is set out in the "What's in a name? The
practicalities of being a public sector CIO" report.
Based on a survey of 76 public sector organisations, and
detailed interviews with ten CIOs in local and central government
and the private sector, the report answers the questions "What is
it that CIOs do, and how does their role, personal skills and
attributes differ from those of head of ICT or CTOs?".
The report defines CIOs as "digitally literate leaders who
understand fully the operational environment in which their
organisation works, and can build and interpret strategy at both
business and technical levels".
They have the skills and attributes to lead their organisations
to transform and continuously improve services, particularly by
making best use of technology, the report says.
CTOs, by contrast, manage the technical infrastructure and
software to deliver an economical, efficient and effective ICT
service within their organisation, to partner organisations and the
community.
The report says individuals called "head of ICT" may operate as
CIOs or CTOs, depending upon the demands their employing
organisation makes of them, their own skills and behaviours, and
the presence or not of others in the organisation with appropriate
skill sets.
Report author Chris Head says there are challenges for people
most comfortable in a technical environment who want to take on the
CIO role.
He said: "The role is primarily about being an agent of business
change. It means having a vision of the future and the ability to
translate this into both business and ICT strategies.
"It means a high level of engagement with the business and the
ability to discuss delivery without talking 'technical'. This can
be difficult for people immersed in the technical infrastructure,
not least because of the perceptions others have of them."