Gartner analysts said CIOs should try leading in the digital world at two speeds.
“Continue to run stable, mission critical systems using conventional approaches and methodologies, but don’t try to force-fit experiments, digital innovations, business moments through that approach,” said Dave Aron, vice president and Gartner Fellow. “Instead, use agile, fast, just safe-enough techniques to explore, adopt and adapt to new opportunities and embrace the ones that stick.”
Mr. Aron pointed out that it isn’t only about agile development methodologies. It’s about partnering with smaller and more innovative enterprises, crowdsourcing, and lighter weight governance, metrics and leadership.
There is the emergence of Chief Digital Officers. Less than a tenth of businesses have them now, but Gartner expects a significant uptick in the next year.
“We see the Chief Digital Officer as an interim role, not around forever, but championing the escape from analog inertia,” Mr. Aron said. “Revenue and strategy-focused CIOs will take an important leadership role, and back office CIOs will play a powerful operational role, but have less influence on strategy.”
Gartner analysts said one of the most important ways for CIOs to think of their job for the next few years is to think of them as “digital storytellers” in their business. In business, the dominant narrative has been the financial story. The CFO has ensured that every executive knew their part in creating the value of the enterprise.
“As you (the CIO) become the digital storyteller in your business, you must not only ensure that you have a powerful leadership story to tell, but also that every executive becomes a digital leader, clear about their role in your business’s digital story,” Mr. Aron said.
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