Should the CIO have a Technical Background in ICT? [2006]
The title of this article is an interesting question in the light of contemporary management practices.
A scan of recent CIO recruitment listings shows that most enterprises insist on management skills first, with technical knowledge and experience second. However, all of them required some degree of experience at a technical level.
Given that the CIO must manage finances, deal with human recourse issues, evolve with the company needs, as well as deliver seamless ICT solutions; it puts a lot of pressure on suitable candidates. "Say hello to the chief information ‘octopus’" (Chan, I. 2006). The majority of advertised CIO positions require extensive management qualifications and experience, but often stipulate specific technical experience and/or qualifications as well. Not only must the candidates hold a bachelor’s degree or masters in business administration or the like, they must also be able to provide technology vision and leadership; develop and implement a range of technologies; oversee system security and facilitate communications between all stakeholders. That is a big ask, but it is also very common.
Feld, C. (2003) states that, "…the responsibilities of the CIO in the modern corporation are staggering. It's a very tall order to be able to recognize the game-changing nature of IT, to have the street smarts and influencing skills to navigate executive committees to the right decisions, and to then have the technical savvy and skill in execution to deliver the goods. Most IT professionals have some of these leadership skills. Acquiring and employing these skills will be essential to IT leaders in 2010".
Some still view ICT and the CIO position as simply another management role, "It is a foregone conclusion that strong business skills is the number one factor" (Tang, P. 2006), while others understand the unique requirements of this important position. ICT is now the heart of most modern businesses and enterprises. Effective and efficient management of this component is essential. With the advent of the Internet/intranet and e-business models - supply chain, internal operations, sales and customer relationship management - it is fundamental to the survivability of any corporation. So the role of the CIO is not trivial.
Therefore, a blend of both management and technical is a must.
So why is it that some still have the notion that a CIO need not have a technical background? Why is it seen as simply managing people and resources just like any other management role? One of the reasons is the belief that a good CIO hires the "right people" and most technical aspects are dealt with by those expert staff members. These key employees then provide the necessary technical answers. In the case of an internal knowledge deficit, though, the problem is outsourced or a contractor consulted.
While there isn’t really a problem with the hire-an-expert approach, it does lack efficiency, can be expensive, can pose a security risk and cannot guarantee appropriate results. Also, if a CIO is to rely on third party advice from technical personnel (internal or external), he or she must understand them to effectively filter out the wheat from the chaff. Technology experts are not always easy to deal with. "IT employees do share certain tendencies that set them apart from workers in sales, finance and manufacturing. As creative problem-solvers, IT staffers get absorbed in whatever projects they are working on, often at the expense of relating to colleagues outside of IT. As technology aficionados, IT employees sometimes don't have much patience with people who don't share their enthusiasm for all things technical. And when it comes to organizational politics and Machiavellian maneuvers, most IT people couldn't be bothered. For their part, employees outside of IT may not appreciate the nature of IT work, so CIOs need to serve as a bridge between disparate groups". (Santosus, M. 2003).
In essence, a CIO must have the essential business acumen and experience to deal with the CEO and other driving forces, but also possess a technical background to manage and communicate with the technical staff. A paper by Meta Group, Inc. (Passori, A. 2005) recognizes the need to be management savvy, "The key to CIO survival is calculating the incoming CEO's understanding and commitment to IT and having a 'state of the union' script ready for the CEO to forge a credible and lasting partnership in meeting competitive challenges". Nevertheless, this statement also alludes to the need to understand IT well enough to gauge the CEO’s views. Given that many managers become IT aware through their day to day responsibilities, a corporation hiring on the basis of management experience alone could end up with a CIO with less technical knowledge than the CEO. Obviously, this is not a particularly productive situation.
Therefore, neither management experience nor technical ability can be successful on its own. Without appropriate formal training, a technician will not have the wherewithal and skills to manage, command respect and communicate effectively. On the other hand, a management-only CIO may be able to bluff his or her way through a few minor issues, but knowing the technical aspects will ensure successful outcomes when the going gets tough.
References
Chan, I. (2006). Say hello to the chief information ‘octopus’. ZDNet Asia
http://www.zdnetasia.com/blog/btw/0,39056810,61957003,00.htm
Feld, C. (2003). IT Leadership in 2010: The skills that CIOs will need to win the game. CIO.com
http://www.cio.com/archive/121503/lead.html
Passori, A. (2005). The State of the (IT) Union: CIO to CEO. Meta Group, Inc.
http://www2.cio.com/analyst/report3253.html
Santosus, M. (2003). Secrets to Managing Techies. CIO.com
http://www.cio.com/archive/100103/hs_techies.html
Tang, P. (2006). It’s Training Men. CIO-Asia.com
http://www.cio-asia.com/ShowPage.aspx?pagetype=2&articleid=3142&pubid=5&issueid=76