Can a CIO Lead Digital Transformation?

CIOs, of course you can lead the digital business transformation. But it's going to take changing perspective, attitude, and adding some different skills.

01:29

Jul 11, 2015
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There's a lot of discussion as to whether a CIO should cede the digital business transformation to a CDO.

CIOs! There's no question that you can lead the company's digital business transformation, but not without personal and professional change. Dion Hinchcliffe discusses the importance for a CIO to develop leadership ability, to focus on the business, and to strike the delicate balance between enabling the business and protecting the business.

Transcript

​I very much believe CIOs can lead digital transformation and certainly there are examples of it happening. So organizations like (Youngstrom?), where the CIO is able to lead that transformation process. So the question is, how is that leadership best exhibited? And so when I think we look at what CIO is doing most effectively, there are ones that focus on enablement for example much more than constraint.

So you know the older attitude of traditional CIOs being Dr. No saying, we’re the conduit not where leadership needs to be any more. So I think that although CIOs have a control mentality, because it’s the only way to take a very complex set of issues in the technology field, and you know ensure business continuity and deal with security, we’ve got to think of real leadership these days has got to look I think quite different in terms of digital. And that is leading from the front and looking for opportunities in the organisation, and giving that part of the organisation for it to succeed, and that’s where it’s going to happen. And IT leaders that constraint instead of enable will not be able to lead.

Published Date: Jul 11, 2015

Author: Michael Krigsman

Episode ID: 195