The IT leadership role has transformed significantly since the title chief information officer (CIO) was initially coined in the late 1980s, but that certainly doesn`t mean that the role is now static.
Research is strongly suggesting that the CIO`s role is more and more becoming proactive rather than reactive and that this trend will become even more evident as the CIO becomes just another member of the `C-level` executive team that already includes the CEO and CFO.
"These changes are also being fuelled by regulatory changes," commented Lesley Mawhinney, Head of the ICT Practice at Leaders Unlimited. "One such piece of new legislation is Sarbanes-Oxley, which has a multiplicity of implications and is not just limited to activities within the US.
"I expect CIO responsibilities to continue shifting from one that is at a technical/operational level to one at a more strategic/management level, which will result in a steady elevation of the CIO`s role in relationship to other C-level executives, with `success` in their context being redefined to encompass strategic, enterprise-wide business goals and objectives," continued Mawhinney.
"In addition, the mission of IT and the focus of the CIO will be redirected away from internal customers to external customers, partners, service providers and other links in the extended value chain.
"Human capital management embracing recruitment, motivation, retention, evaluation, promotion and compensation will also become a key CIO responsibility, as will IT portfolio management, IT investment management and risk assessment, including business continuity and disaster recovery," added Mawhinney.
"Actionable business intelligence will become a standard deliverable from IT, along with balanced scorecards; executive dashboards and other highly visual presentation formats that will become ubiquitous in the decision-making process. Regulatory compliance issues will require the CIO to develop a deeper understanding and more intuitive grasp of corporate finance and accounting processes.
"Thus, CIOs will assume leadership roles in shaping and creating a world economy fuelled by information," concluded Mawhinney.
Leaders Unlimited, the `African` arm of Korn/Ferry International, has access to the latter`s extensive research on issues such as the `role of the CIO` and the above is a distillation of some of that information.
For further information, please contact Lesley Mawhinney, Leaders Unlimited: telephone (011) 722 1600, fax (011) 722 1611, e-mail Lmawhinney@leadersunlimited.co.za.
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Leaders Unlimited is a leading global provider of recruitment solutions. Its portfolio of services includes senior-level executive search, specialised skills, middle-management recruitment and leadership/management assessment.
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Leaders Unlimited is the strategic partner for the Africa continent of New York-listed Korn/Ferry International, one of the leading global providers of executive human capital resources.
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