Why you should hire a CIO

 

Today in Zimbabwe we have telecommunication companies, facing serious viability constraints and some are downsizing or closing because of failure to implement a proper IT strategy on the backdrop of a positive high mobile penetration rate, which they should be benefiting from.

Brodacom, a Spiritage Holdings subsidiary, is one company which had the potential to be the most successful converged telecoms provider in Zimbabwe, but it failed dismally.
It closed most of its shops with its employees going for months without salaries because it failed to execute a proper IT strategy though it had a perfect marketing strategy which caused a stir in the market.

Internationally, photo giant Kodak is now on its knees because consumers are no longer finding its product relevant as there are now lots of digital solutions to capture photos and videos that are better than Kodak’s products.

They probably lacked the foresight or they completely had no one on the lookout for new technology,
Technology is surely a disruptive innovation, but which side of the coin it leaves you is purely a matter of strategic measures and know-how in the implementation of appropriate strategies.

A winning team depends on the formulation of a polished IT strategy and the recruitment of a Chief Information Officer (CIO) who multi-tasks.
A CIO is mostly likened to a Chief Technology Officer though these two are not always one nor the same, yet functionally they could be one thing.
A CIO is also referred to as the IT Director, this is the most senior position in charge of the ICT in every organisation.

Sometime last year I wrote an article on IT governance, where I looked at the statutes and the implementation strategy and I made reference to the fact that the absence of CIOs in Zimbabwe is hampering the growth of ICTs.

This is hindering organisation from discovering risks prior to them having an effect on their operations.
In Zimbabwe, the most senior IT/ICT position offered is that of an IT manager and at times just an IT administrator.

The main danger with our local system is that the IT manager mostly reports to the finance director or operations executives which does not make any sense.
The difference between IT and finance makes it impossible for the two managers to speak with one voice or agree on matters.

Traditionally, ICTs have been treated as a cost and not the core business of an organisation and getting the IT manager to convince the finance director to buy security software and hardware worth thousands of dollars will only fall on deaf ears.
Overhauling a porous IT system or upgrades are also often stifled by “if it’s not broken why fix it” mentality.

This also causes negative behaviour and boredom amongst employees which most of them are only taken aback to the Stone Age systems when they go work, gradually employees will be forced to adapt because the current system does not encourage technology to flourish.

The need to start embracing the power of the digital age, social networks, online trends and technologies is also beyond the scope of an IT manager this is a position for the most dynamic IT person who fits well in the relevant organisation.

The best CIO to hire is that person who has the best technical know-how of ICTs but perfectly understands, practices or fits well in the core business of the organisation.
This is an individual who comes on board to bridge the gap between the technological world and the business management sector.

This individual can only bring results if he/she has been exposed to technologies and fully understands the core business of the entity.
For example, a car manufacturing firm in Zimbabwe will obviously require a CIO who has a background in car manufacturing technologies.

He has to know the trade values well like going green, the grey imports, electronic cars, etc.
Why?

These are the latest technologies in the car industry. The same can be said in the media industry.
It is currently facing its greatest shift ever from the print to electronic versions where news is now available on mobile phones and online realtime.

The emergence of social networks, the app world plus mastery of online content management systems (CMS) has also changed the media landscape.
A successful CIO needs very unique skills set, leadership skills, well grounded in technology, an understanding of corporate finance, very creative and a deep understanding of the ability to directly relate to the business.

Failure to understand the relevant technologies or lack of exposure would literally mean you have just hired another IT manager to cohabit with the existing old one.  
According to e-job descriptions the Chief Information Officer is accountable for directing the information and data integrity of the enterprise and its groups and for all information technology functions of the enterprise.
In a nutshell, this is what an organisation should mainly look out for to revolutionise its IT strategy.