In recent months, workers around the world have been asked to work remotely and follow strict social distancing regulations. According to CIO, these mandates have caused major changes across organisations and put unique pressure on IT departments and IT decision makers to make the situation work. As a result, CIOs are being asked to spearhead the evolution of the IT function, especially as technology becomes more and more intertwined with different business functions. The modern IT department still exists to manage and direct technology, but must now shift their efforts towards overall business success.
Relationship building
By building strategic partnerships with their management colleagues across the business, CIOs will find it easier to support their peers and also gain support for their digital initiatives. When CIOs partner and collaborate with other C-level executives, they gain greater visibility into how different department functions and what they need.
When the CIO has an inside guide to each department, he or she can make the most suitable suggestions to help these business functions leverage tech and IT to boost savings, up competitive advantage and potentially open up new revenue opportunities.
The power of training
According to Gartner, 100% of IT roles in 2020 require a level of business acumen, which not only drives business effectiveness and value but also boosts growth. It’s no longer enough for CIOs to only be responsible for managing how, when, why and where information and technology is disseminated, they also need to upskill themselves so that they think more like a business leader.
For example, CIOs looking to make meaningful IT investments need to have a comprehensive understanding of cyber security may better position them to make decisions that have a broad business impact. Let’s face it, a cyber security incident may be an IT issue but the ramifications of a hack or data leak will ultimately affect the entire business.
Ultimately, CIOs need to map out their digital strategy based on what their fellow business leaders want to achieve and then adopt a more collaborative approach so that they can develop an IT roadmap that aligns with business requirements.
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