Since its inception in the mid to late 70s, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) role has evolved with the changing fortunes of the information technology (IT) function they lead.
Over the past three decades, IT has emerged from the back office to rule the world of business. Increasingly, albeit begrudgingly, business leaders recognize the vital role IT plays in creating shareholder value. Simultaneously, they have changed their expectation of the person who manages this strategic asset for them.
Gone are the days of the CIO being thought of as the "Head of IT". Now, a CIO is a business leader managing IT investments for business results.
- Is this a semantic difference or a fundamental paradigm shift?
- What are the implications of this change in thinking on the role of the CIO and the required skills for the job?
It is also a well known fact that most CIOs retire - if they are lucky, that is - from this position. Very few have made it to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) ranks and to our knowledge none to the CEO ranks.
In jest, some have commented that the CIO acronym stands for "Career Is Over!" It might sound funny but research on the topic gives us reason to be grim - the average tenure of a CIO is 18-24 months!
- Is this high turnover a sign of CIOs not able to keep up with the changing expectations of their emerging role?
- Or, is it a sign of the pervasive confusion of what the role is?
We intend to explore this topic in depth and hope you will join us - after all, you stand to lose nothing but your job!
