A reflection on the Leadership Role of a CIO
The Chief Information Officer (CIO) job title is the highest-ranking technology executive position within an organization. Thus, there must be a clear understanding of their roles and the diverse technical and non-technical that they should possess to warrant the success of an IT-based organization. A CIO’s role as a leader is to develop and oversee a variety of technological strategies that an organization requires. This means that a CIO oversees the IT department and makes changes essential in improving effectiveness and efficiency. Even though most CIOs would not like to spend most of their time engaged in the daily process of their IT department, they are required to put adequate input into day-to-day operations to guarantee that the systems and services are being well-run. Based on the constant technological changes taking place throughout various fields, CIO’s have also been tasked with keeping up-to-date with technological trends. Doing so makes it possible to ensure that an organization does not lag behind in IT, something that may affect the capacity to meet the ever-changing customer needs.
Whenever something technical malfunctions in an organization over the weekend, the CIO is likely to receive the first call regarding the issue, even if someone else resolves the problem. CIO’s are also tasked with undertaking digital transformation since they will be among the first executives to be judged for failing to implement basic changes. The role CIO’s play in leading digital transformation is influenced by the fact that an e-business strategy is prone to failure if there lacks adequate consideration of business continuity practices and cyber security. Since CIO’s are C-level executives, they are responsible not only for the development of IT strategies but ensuring that the strategies are aligned with the overall business strategy. The need to align IT strategies with an organization’s objectives is because most digital businesses have designed their business model around IT strategies.
Developing and maintaining a team that understands their role and one that is motivated is also one of the roles that CIO serves. By ensuring that IT staff members understand their diverse roles, it becomes possible for a CIO to ensure that the IT department is effectively working towards meeting their broader goals of an organization. Keeping the IT department employees motivated is also vital in meeting organizational objectives by warranting that they can respond to change when necessary. Whenever staff members are not motivated, they are likely to be reluctant in taking up new changes essential to effective operations, something that negatively affects an organization’s capacity to meet its objectives.
Based on the evaluation provided, it is clear that CIO’s play a critical role in today’s organizational set-up. While CIO’s would be most found in IT-based companies, the incorporation of IT in most modern businesses have made the position a vital one since IT strategies are central to most business strategies. Since CIO’s are the highest ranking technology executive, they directly report their operations to the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, or Chief Financial Officer. By setting and leading technology strategies, CIO’s are able to guarantee that organizations remain competitive in the ever-changing modern business environment.