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Randolph C. Hite of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is a little more direct.
“I think the chief architect will be sitting at the board of director’s table, and I think when they talk about changes to the organization, then they’re going to say, ‘Let’s pull up the architecture.” (The SIM Guide Page 16)
Why a Focus on CIOsWhy a Focus on CIOsIn the Forward, Jeanne Ross of MIT reports:“For years … argued that IT should have a place at the management table … it is hard to argue that … the CIO should be an equal force on the senior management team.”“Enterprise architecture comes to the rescue.”“What they have overlooked (and are starting to recognize) is that they can’t manage integrated systems and processes by committee. Someone needs to provide leadership …[b]ecause IT people are the people most likely to understand … they are the natural leaders to assume responsibility for architecting their companies’ business operations.” (The SIM Guide Page xli)
Why a Focus on CIOsWhy a Focus on CIOsKappelman puts it this way:“Nearly sixty years of experience gathering and meeting business requirements makes IT professionals particularly well positioned to lead this enterprise evolution by building their EA capabilities upon the foundations of their up until now stove-piped system requirements capabilities.”“After all, specifying system requirements … is presumably all about applying systems thinking to enterprise while building shared vision with shared models, all the while working in teams to bring about said shared vision … as Zachman opines, the end object is the reengineer and remanufacture the enterprise … then it would seem that no other group is better prepared to facilitate this evolution of the enterprise into the future than IT professionals.”(The SIM Guide Page 5-6)Quotes taken from “The SIM Guide
Each of these will raise questions - that can only be addressed by CIOs themselves.
Synthesist
IdealistRealist
AnalystPragmatist
Skill
CompetencyKnowledge
ExpertiseProficiency
Possibility
OpportunityFuture
PotentialProbability
The purpose of this presentation is to step- back from these possible relationships and focus for a few minutes on research that has been done on CIOs and their role within organizations. While much is written about CIOs - in this presentation I want to focus on only three areas:
Biases and PredispositionBiases and Predisposition
Before proceeding it is only fair that I share with you my biases, predisposition, prejudices, beliefs ……
Enterprise Architecture is a metaphorical expression. (SIM Guide 80+) And “architecture”, itself, is a poor metaphor - perhaps I should say the wrong metaphor. May have been appropriate for the IBM 360 architecture - but that does not translate to organizations, to social structures.
Zachman’s Framework is a wonderful framework but of little practical use in helping organizations set, create and implement new business directions.
Each of these will raise questions - that can only be addressed by CIOs themselves.
Synthesist
IdealistRealist
AnalystPragmatist
Skill
CompetencyKnowledge
ExpertiseProficiency
Possibility
OpportunityFuture
PotentialProbability
The purpose of this presentation is to step- back from these possible relationships and focus for a few minutes on research that has been done on CIOs and their role within organizations. While much is written about CIOs - in this presentation I want to focus on only three areas:
Thinking Styles of North American IT ExecutivesThinking Styles of North American IT Executives
“The paper provides a preliminary report of a study of the thinking styles of mid- level and senior information technology executives from the United States.”
Quotes taken from “Thinking Styles of North American IT Executives” by Peter S. Delisi and Ronald L. Danielson published in the Proceedings of the Third Annual Global Information Technology Management World Conference, New York, June 23 - 25, 2002
Thinking Styles of IT Executives - GAP 1Thinking Styles of IT Executives - GAP 1
SynthesistSynthesist
IdealistIdealistRealistRealist
AnalystAnalyst PragmatistPragmatist
Diagram based on the Inquiry Mode Questionnaire by Harrison and Bramson as described in the “Art of Thinking”(1984)
The way IT Executives are perceived - by CEOs.
“The data [survey of IT Executives] refutes the idea that IT executives are highlyanalytic and capable of only narrow, focused work. Indeed, the data suggests that,greater frequency than in the population at large, IT executives are likely topossess skills that make them capable of broad, open-ended activities that spanthe range of the enterprise.”
Thinking Styles of IT Executives - GAP 2Thinking Styles of IT Executives - GAP 2
SynthesistSynthesist
IdealistIdealistRealistRealist
AnalystAnalyst PragmatistPragmatist
Diagram based on the Inquiry Mode Questionnaire by Harrison and Bramson as described in the “Art of Thinking”(1984)
The way IT Executives see themselves.
The way IT Executives
actually think.
“The data [survey of IT Executives] refutes the idea that IT executives are highlyanalytic and capable of only narrow, focused work. Indeed, the data suggests that,greater frequency than in the population at large, IT executives are likely topossess skills that make them capable of broad, open-ended activities that spanthe range of the enterprise.”
“Contrary to popular belief, a significantly smaller proportion of these executives prefer analytic thinking, and a significantly larger proportion prefer holistic thinking, than would be expected.”
“This reality, coupled with a common (mis)perception that holds the opposite view, may preclude IT executives from making optimal contributions to the organization as a whole.”
Quotes taken from “Thinking Styles of North American IT Executives” by Peter S. Delisi and Ronald L. Danielson published in the Proceedings of the Third Annual Global Information Technology Management World Conference, New York, June 23 - 25, 2002
Can the gaps be closed, if so, how?Can the gaps be closed, if so, how?
The question that needs to be addressed - what can be done to close the perception gaps, thus enabling CIOs to make full and complete contributions to the organization as a whole and to the relationships among the following:
Why CIOs Are Last Among EqualsWhy CIOs Are Last Among Equals
Quotes taken from “Why CIOs Are Last Among Equals” written by Delisis, Mobert and Danielson published in the Wall Street Journal May 24, 2010
In this article the authors ask the question - “Are CIOs doomed to forever be second-class citizens among top executives?”
“Chief Information Officers are more important than ever to the success of their companies, given the crucial role of information technology has come to play in every aspect of business. But in most companies, the CIO still isn’t viewed as a peer by other senior executives, who tend to see CIOs as specialists lacking the full set of broad management skills.”
A more important question raised is - “What’s holding them back?”
Restating Delisis, Mobert and Danielson - in a positive way. Effective CIOs use Executive Skills to mobilize and link their Domain Knowledge and Business Knowledge.
Supporting White Paper - Six Initiatives for CIOSupporting White Paper - Six Initiatives for CIO
“Distilling the results from our interviews and relevant research, we believe there are six initiatives a CIO must pursue to be successful in the eyes of these CEOs and their like-minded colleagues. These initiatives are:
Developing a big picture perspective
Enhancing interpersonal skills
Raising awareness of the value of It
Reporting results
Establishing relationships and increasing visibility
Becoming a change agentQuotes taken from “A CEO’s-eye view of the IT Function” by Peter S. DeLisi, Ronald L. Danielson, Barry Z. Posner - Published in Business Horizons, Volume 41, Issue 1 January-February 1998, Pages 65-74
1. Developing a Big Picture Perspective1. Developing a Big Picture Perspective
“Distilling the results from our interviews and relevant research, we believe there are six initiatives a CIO must pursue to be successful in the eyes of these CEOs and their like-minded colleagues. These initiatives are:
Quotes taken from “A CEO’s-eye view of the IT Function” by Peter S. DeLisi, Ronald L. Danielson, Barry Z. Posner - Published in Business Horizons, Volume 41, Issue 1 January-February 1998, Pages 65-74
“A classic series of longitudinal studies on career advancement (Clark and Clark 1994) identified only two predictors of whether a new hire would someday move to the top of the organization. One of those indicators of success was that the employee always had a bigger picture perspective than that demanded by their immediate position, trying to understand how their role fit into the larger context and how they could impact the larger system.”
“The fundamental communication skills are speaking and listening effectively, so one can truly understand the viewpoints and needs of those one interacts with.
Earl and Feeny (1994) note that successful CIOs are ‘able to absorb and use the language of production or marketing and show understanding of and sensitivity to their colleague's concerns.’
Attending to non-verbal communication cues, such as attitude and body language, are also important to effective communications.”
Quotes taken from “A CEO’s-eye view of the IT Function” by Peter S. DeLisi, Ronald L. Danielson, Barry Z. Posner - Published in Business Horizons, Volume 41, Issue 1 January-February 1998, Pages 65-74
3. Raising Awareness of the Value of IT3. Raising Awareness of the Value of IT
“For example, Royal Bank of Canada hosted a three day symposium for senior management to which major customers were also invited. The symposium focused on themes such as ‘technology means business’ and ‘in partnership we can do it together,’ and provided hands-on use of technology for all participants. After this particular event, their CIO commented, "These sessions changed the profile of IS in the bank and opened up the eyes of bank executives and customers alike to what is becoming possible." (Tapscott and Caston 1993) Focusing on how CIOs can create a more favorable impression with senior management, let us look at three possible marketing programs: executive education, hands-on executive use of IT, and IT strategic planning.”
Quotes taken from “A CEO’s-eye view of the IT Function” by Peter S. DeLisi, Ronald L. Danielson, Barry Z. Posner - Published in Business Horizons, Volume 41, Issue 1 January-February 1998, Pages 65-74
“This was also the idea behind IBM's requirement that salespeople make a CAPS (Customer Annual Progress Summary) report to their customers. This was a formal standup presentation in which the salesperson highlighted IBM's contributions to the organization in that current year. This CAPS presentation was typically delivered to a senior executive (at least one level abovethe level that the salesman normally worked with) and would be a significant reminder of the value that IBM had provided.”
“Listen to how the Chairman of the New England Medical Center describes this kind of information (Grossman 1995): "The information services department prepares an annual performance report on investments and achievements and compares it with the medical center's strategic initiatives. We use this report to evaluate the degree to which our information technology infrastructure is helping us become a higher quality, more effective, and more efficient service provider."
J. H. Grossman, "Perspectives on 'The End of Delegation?: Information Technology and
the CEO'", Harvard Business Review, September - October 1995, p. 172.
Quotes taken from “A CEO’s-eye view of the IT Function” by Peter S. DeLisi, Ronald L. Danielson, Barry Z. Posner - Published in Business Horizons, Volume 41, Issue 1 January-February 1998, Pages 65-74
“Stephens (1995) also notes that ‘Alliances with internal peers was critical for CIOs,’ and the 50% of effort outside the IT organization mentioned above was consistent with actual time allocations in her observations of successful CIOs. Others have commented on the importance of building alliances, primarily through informal one-to-one meetings. Obviously, good interpersonal skills enhance the ability to build relationships.”
“The Nature of Information Technology Work: The Work Life of Five Chief Information
Officers” by Charlotte S. Stephens published in Prometheus Volume 17, Issue 2, June
1999, page 257
Quotes taken from “A CEO’s-eye view of the IT Function” by Peter S. DeLisi, Ronald L. Danielson, Barry Z. Posner - Published in Business Horizons, Volume 41, Issue 1 January-February 1998, Pages 65-74
6. Becoming a Change Agent6. Becoming a Change Agent
“Sometimes big impact opportunities occur within a functional unit. Other times they come at the intersections of two or more functional areas. Leonard- Barton (1995) characterizes these boundaries as sources of ‘creative abrasion,’ places where poor interfaces in the flow of information between functional units hinder operational effectiveness. Established relationships with peers in those functional units allow CIOs to explore the frustrations and impediments within functional units, and serve as a bridge across the units.”
“Exploring the internal corporate landscape is not CIOs' only source of ideas for improving the competitive stance of their organization. There is also a role to play as ‘intelligence agent,’ finding innovative applications of information technology in other organizations, distilling the experience, and then applying that experience to their own company. Earl and Feeny (1994) describe this as "interpreting external IT success stories.”
Quotes taken from “A CEO’s-eye view of the IT Function” by Peter S. DeLisi, Ronald L. Danielson, Barry Z. Posner - Published in Business Horizons, Volume 41, Issue 1 January-February 1998, Pages 65-74
2009 - IT Lessons From Leadership Laboratory2009 - IT Lessons From Leadership Laboratory
Quotes taken from “Lessons from an Information Technology Leadership Laboratory” by Peter S. Delisi, Dennis Moberg and Ronald L. Danielson published 2009
LeadershipLeadership
CommunicationCommunication
StrategicThinking
StrategicThinking
RiskAnalysis &Synthesis
RiskAnalysis &Synthesis
RelationshipRelationship InfluenceInfluence
ExecutiveSkills
ExecutiveSkills
“A careful assessment of eleven years of experience with ITLP [2009] has led us to two general conclusions. First, the most important focus for developing IT professionals should be on helping them acquire senior executive-level skills. The second general observation is that there is a gap between the skills required of a senior executive and the skills that most IT professionals currently have.”
Can the gaps be closed, if so, how?Can the gaps be closed, if so, how?
The question that needs to be addressed - what can be done to close any skill gaps, thus enabling CIOs to make full and complete contributions to the organization as a whole and to the relationships among the following:
1. From Alignment to Co-Evolution1. From Alignment to Co-Evolution
“For over three decades alignment has been the watchword of the CIO. Indeed, surveys of IT issues over the last 30 years have consistently ranked the challenge of achieving alignment among the top three.”
“While this is a laudable objective, it of course assumes that organizations do actually have an explicit business strategy which can be aligned against.”
“Co-evolution recognizes that IT can also shape the strategy of the organization through providing innovative opportunities, particularly with new business models defined by IT.” (The New Agenda Page 4)
Lack of an explicit strategy has often been observed. In the book “Strategy Safari” Henry Mintzberg points to the work of Inkpen (1995) who suggest that “Strategy absence need not be associated with organizational failure. Deliberate building in of strategy absence may promote flexibility in an organization.” (Strategy Safari Page 19)
2. From IT Strategy to Business Priorities2. From IT Strategy to Business Priorities
“A key prescription for the CIO has always been to develop the organization’s IT strategy. Indeed, this task usually appears in their job specification and is an expectation that their C-level colleagues hold of them. The reality is that many struggle to engage their business colleagues in the IT strategy formulation process and often end up ‘second guessing’ the strategy and future business direction, particularly when one is absent.”
“However, developing this strategy should not be seen as a central focus of interactions with business colleagues. Focusing on the business priorities of colleagues is more likely to gain their interest and attention. (The New Agenda Page 5)
“DeBoever: I say this, ‘My goal is to reduce complexity and to enable rapid change in business.’
Ross: An alternative approach is to listen to what they say their problems are and offer to solve them. Don’t talk about architecture.” (The SIM Guide Page 21)
3. From Investment to Value Realization3. From Investment to Value Realization
“This might seem like a subtle shift in emphasis, but its implications are profound. A focus on identifying the investments to make suggests that the decision to spend is made by business executives with delivery managed by the CIO and his organization. Unfortunately, unlike other investments that a firm makes, the value of IT is not in its possession; if it was, just building and deploying IT-based systems would result in benefits automatically flowing to the business, and we know that this I not the case …[t]he reality is that generating value through information technology is an organizational wide endeavor with executives and employees having a role to play.” (The New Agenda Page 6)
“The Benefits Realization Process is designed to help people build a shared vision of the benefits realization process. It gives senior management a clear understanding of what business results are to be achieved through a major investment and of IT’s contribution to those results. (The Information Paradox Page 39)
4. From Enabler of Change to Shaping Change4. From Enabler of Change to Shaping Change
“… CIOs shape change through innovation; seeking opportunities to marry emerging technical capability with business opportunities. They have typically dedicated budget and resources for innovation, constantly searching out new technologies and assessing their business relevance.”
They realize that most ‘game-changer’ innovations come form technology, that their business colleagues can be slow to spot.” (The New Agenda Page 7)
“Since technology plays such a central role in almost all aspects of modern life it may come as not surprise that it also plays a decisive role in corporate development and competitive positioning of firms. This is no longer just the case for the products and services of the traditional technology based companies. Today, many companies ranging from financial services firms to logistics companies depend on technology in order to be successful. (Managing Technology and Innovation Page 3)
5. From IT Solution to Business Capability5. From IT Solution to Business Capability
“What CIOs are telling us is that in promoting IT solutions, the focus is on ‘the IT not ‘the problem’ that requires solving. Consequently, IT is seen as a solver of problems: this is the magic bullet thesis. Focusing on providing a business capability is more likely to get the attraction of business managers as it emphasizes business and IT working together to create a capability for the business to exploit.”
“The implication is that the business has to leverage these capabilities if the expected benefits of the investment are to be achieved.”(The New Agenda Page 7)
The authors make a clear distinction between “Business Capability” and “Organizational Capability”.The Capable Company Page 70-77)
6. From Deploy Technology To Exploit Information6. From Deploy Technology To Exploit Information
“… recognize that while successfully implementing technology is necessary, on its own it is not a sufficient condition to generate value. Ultimately, value emerges from usage of information and IT. Yet if examine how organizations run a typical IT project it is clearly emphasizes the deployment of technology; project metrics such as ..”(The New Agenda Page 8)
“Information Orientation” by Marchand, Kettinger and Rollins, published by Oxford Press.
“This book examines how the interaction of people, information and technology establishes an orientation towards the use of information within a company and how this in turn affects business performance.”(Information Orientation Page 1)
7. From Governance as Structure to Behavior7. From Governance as Structure to Behavior
“What we find … is that many CIOs fail to recognize that governance is ultimately about behavior not structure … Hi- Impact CIOs … have framed the agenda to one focused squarely on behaviors. Just as corporate governance seeks to ensure that executive management act in the bet interests of shareholders and owners … IT governance should seek that behaviors about information and IT … are made in the best interest of the organization as a whole. (The New Agenda Page 8)
“Six IT Decisions Your IT People Shouldn’t Make” by Jeanne Ross (author of Preface to The SIM Guide) - “Senior managers need to take a key role in a handful of decisions.”StrategyHow much should we spend on IT?Which business Process should receive our IT dollars?Which IT capabilities need to be company wide?
ExecutionHow good do our IT services need to be?What security and privacy risks will we accept?Who do we blame if an IT initiative fails?
8. From Running IT as a business, to for Business8. From Running IT as a business, to for Business
“Running IT like a business instills a certain mindset that can be at odds with the real requirements of IT to generate value to the business. The challenge is not to run IT like a business but rather for the business. This entails identifying opportunities for innovation, better business integration and ways to increase customer value.”(The New Agenda Page 9)
“Lots of companies go wrong by implementing the IT- business relationship as a supplier-customer relationship. In these situations the business doesn’t want or expect to be challenged by IT - they just want it to make stuff happen; but at the same time they complain that it doesn’t add value. For IT to deliver real business value, the relationship between IT and business has to be more one of strategic partnership.”(The Technology Garden by Jon Collins et al. Chapter 9)
Can the gaps be closed, if so, how?Can the gaps be closed, if so, how?
The question that needs to be addressed - what can be done to close the gaps between the present agenda and the new agenda, thus enabling CIOs to make full and complete contributions to the organization as a whole and to the relationships among the following:
Innovation becomes the transformation processNon-IT staff will drive the use of technologyBusiness-focused execs take charge
Perceptions
Capabilities
Probabilities
Business analysis, financial management, communication, risk management, business competitiveness and new market opportunitiesKnowledge of business at MBA level and CxO-ready - the language of businessFocus on business results, innovation and socializing innovative investmentsFocused on competitiveness of company, its partners, and its customers - long-term
Multilingual and multitaskingLess time on how - more on creative talentsPolitical skills well tuned
Next Up: The 21st Century CIO - Cameron - Forester - Dec 2007
“… CEO set up a CTO office outside of IT to drive technology-based business innovation.”“… control over technology use shifts to the business.”“… continuously synchronize … resources with businesses’ ever-more complex demands”
Perceptions
Capabilities
Probabilities
Running IT like a businessOptimizing IT resources to meet business objectivesIT-based Business Innovation - Using technology to transform a business process, market offering or business model to boost value … for the enterprise, customers or partners.
“CEOs … don’t see IT as … source for business improvement or innovation.”CIOs face “limited or even negative expectations”“… CEOs expecting little from IT.”“… [few] … see IT as a proactive leader”
CIOs: Avoid IT Marginalization On the Path to BT - Cameron - Forester - Jul 2007
what normal looks like.”“… markets will look different …”globalization - “seamless on a global scale”
Perceptions
Capabilities
Probabilities
“… harness the importance of IT to enable the business.”“… part of battle … is to communicate IT’s capabilities … demonstrate value.”how to build “market share … revenue base …connect with customers.”“… be engaged with the business.”“… get out there and build relationships.”
“… CIOs need to get out in front …[t]hey need to be leaders.”“ … being creative enough to get our company …”“… become advocates …”
Bill George on CIOs: Get Out And Lead - Brian Watson - CIO Insight - Oct 2009
“Outsourcing and off shoring … are becoming even greater…”“… collaboration suppliers, customers, industry peers and competitors.”
Perceptions
Capabilities
Probabilities
“… collaborating on innovation …”“… getting more involved in business strategy…”“… soft skills … leadership and communication.”“… IT awareness … ranked outside the top 10.”“… business skills … leadership skills”“… building and maintaining relationships with business.”“… have both technology and business acumen.”“… politically savvy and commercially astute.”“… how to influence and negotiate.”“… top three … leadership, communication and influencing
“… erosion of influence IT leaders wield in shaping business strategy.”“… disenfranchised and drifting away from the business …”“… not expected to innovate with technology.”
Strategic Insights Survey: An IT Leadership Perspective - Albert Ellis - Harvey Nash - 2008
“… contribute actively to business growth, competitive differentiation and innovation …”“… the top three priorities … Business model innovation, Collaboration, and Integration between IT and the business …”“… collaboration - with partners, customers, consultants, competitors, associations and academic groups.”“… understanding of how participants work together to innovate …”
“… three classes of innovative collaborators … Dreamers … Implementers …Consumers …”
Using Collaboration to Enable the Innovators in Your Organization: Part of the CIO Implications Series - IBM - 2006
“… get comfortable with unpredictability and risk.”“… from technologist to strategist and visionary.”“… recognized …. as the change agent …”“… cross-functional thinking …”“… business insight … business partner …”
Convergent thinking among the C-Suite: Why Integration and Collaboration Spell Big Opportunities for CIOs - IBM - Jun 2008
“… market and technological change are rocking every aspect of your world.”“… the velocity of change …”“… changed business models …”
“… enterprise integration and collaboration as essential enablers for business growth.”“… moving toward new business designs, building collaborative energy and delivering a steady stream of differentiating ideas and innovations.”“ … establishing a change vision and strategy for the enterprise … leveraging cross-functional synergies to bring holistic value … overcoming technical, organizational and cultural barriers …”“… better communication …”
weak IT-business relationshipscultural chasm between business and IT professionalsmismatched expectations between business and ITRepeated project failures, project delays and cost overruns … destroy the credibility of ITCredibility problems reduce the status and influence of IT, which may create further difficulties in gaining management cooperation, responsiveness, involvement and securing resources.
An Investigation of the Effect of IT Culture on the Relationship between IT and Business Professionals - Nord - Oklahoma - Aug 2006
Culture - “the customs and rituals that societies develop over time”“organizations develop and perpetuate their own cultures”Organizational culture - “a shared set of beliefs, values and norms present in an organization expressed through organizational structures, control systems, power structures, symbols, ceremonies, myths, rituals, special languages, and stories that in turn influence people’s behavior.”
This needs to be a separate topic in Table of Contents