One of the most significant changes that have marked the business landscape in the last 20 years is the evolution and expansion of the role of Information Systems and Information Technology (IS/IT), and the impact it has had on running a large company. During this period, IS/IT has migrated from the back office to the executive committee and from operations to strategic planning. Today, in a technology-driven business ecosystem where 24/7 availability of systems and communication infrastructure is a tool of competitive advantage, the IT division plays the role of the “organization nerve center”.
Nobody would disagree that today “information” is everything. As a result, business leaders have started to recognize the strategic role that technology plays in the enterprise. They no longer treat technology as a cost-center or stand-alone function and implementer of the business strategy, but as an enabler of the strategy and a source of innovation and growth.
Consequently, now is the time for the IS/IT leaders in an organization to take advantage of this opportunity and upgrade their role. Their objectives and responsibilities need not to be just operational and technology driven (for example cost controlling and systems availability) but rise to a strategic level as business facilitators through the utilization of technology. For example, the ability to understand how their company acquires and retains customers in order to make money will prompt them to make the best IT investment decisions. Especially in technology intensive market sectors, like banking, retail or telecoms, IS/IT leaders can help the organization see what is possible and transform the way business is done. Organizations that are tapping this power already, achieve exceptional business results, leaving the competition behind.
Business leaders demand the following abilities and competencies from today’s IS/IT leader: strong organizational and financial management skills, the ability to execute and deliver by balancing short-term inquiries against long-term objectives, strategic decision making capacity (for example whether to build internal skills versus outsourcing), but most of all the ability to build, lead and inspire high-performing teams.
Moreover, communication and influencing skills are of paramount importance, in terms of the ability to translate complex technology projects and investments into business concepts. It is a mistake though, when IS/IT leaders see their role as interacting only with top management and their subordinate teams; relationship building and networking with peer business managers are even more important. Today’s IS/IT heads must be business people who can win the respect of corporate leaders in all the other strategic functions (finance, sales, operations, HR etc.), who have developed the business fluency to sell their ideas to their organization, who can manage expectations and understand business drivers.
