A Career Path of the Chief Information Officer - Term Paper Example

 CAREER PATH: CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER (CIO) INTRODUCTION: The career path that is selected for this report is that of a CIO – the chief information officer. Chief Information Officer (CIO) is the job title, given to the person who is in charge of the company’s information technology. His basic responsibility is to implement as well as to manage the software and the technologies of an organization. A CIO integrates the new technologies that are beneficial for his organization and ensures that everyday dealings of the organization go smooth. He reports to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or Chief Financial Officer (CFO) on the new implementations, updates, and timeline. As information technology and systems have become more important, the CIO is viewed in many organizations as a key contributor in formulating strategic goals. (Hunter, 2007) OBJECTIVE OF A CIO: Creative thinker and ambitious IT senior Executive with established experience in planning, developing, and implementing information solutions to deal with various business opportunities. They also develop strategic plans for Quality assurance, products and services, and training. They are Skillful at crisis management, problem-solving, identification and negotiating. Propagate positive company image through public presentations, capacity planning, project and resource management and cross functional teams training Expertise in P&L management, budgeting, ERP, Internet systems, security and disaster recovery. (Stenzel, 2007) (The STATE of the CIO' 06, 2006) SKILLS REQUIRED BY CIO Some of the fundamental skills that a CIO should embrace comprise of good communication, better understanding of technology with respect to the company’s set values, objectives and strategic plans, entrepreneurialism, leadership and lastly, being a pro-tech. Communication: It is very important that the CIO is able to communicate well with all levels of the workforce, the managers- the lower, middle and the upper, as well as with the end users. He should avoid the technical jargons when meeting with various levels of employees so that his tasks, orders and talks are easily comprehended by all in the organization. Silicon.com's CIO Jury agrees--Steve Gediking, head of IT at the Independent Police Complaints Commission, says: "We are our own worst enemies because we don't as a group talks the language of business. Three out of four IT directors will talk techie to their board." (Hunter, 2007) Understanding the Business Aspects: Another skill that the CIO requires is to know his organization’s inside out because it is his responsibility to ensure that all the technologies and systems deployed in the organization are in the best interest of the organization and also in sync with the organization’s set values, plans, objectives, vision and the mission. This is only possible if the he is well informed about the various aspects of his organization. He also needs to be aware of the ways that can facilitate the organization’s growth. (The State Of CIO , 2008) Entrepreneurialism CIOs should be ready to take all sorts of risks while looking for new ideas or resolving new or existing problems. He should be imaginative and an ideal visionary who can challenge the conventional wisdom. Leadership: CIOs should direct their teams, motivate and inspire them, guide them to the right direction, should be strong, and be admired by their peers. They should make their people work together and be able to resolve all issues. It is also very important for a good CIO to practice what he preaches, so that he attracts more from his people. He should always encourage and stimulate his workforce towards achievement. (Marianne Broadbent, 2005) Tech- Savvy CIOs should be aware of the technologies and their impacts on the organization as a whole are in synchrony. They should also ensure if the technologies used are the right choice for the organization. They need to convey the benefits the technology provides to their organization to the lower levels so that everyone in the organization understands the impact of the various systems and technologies acquired. They also need to be adaptive and innovative as technology is growing very rapidly. Other skills include: Analyzing technology trends and market forces Business expertise Grasping and analyzing information Making decisions Motivation skills Technology adeptness Self-assurance Managerial skills Knowing the technological operations Financial management, tactical thinking and planning skills Knowing the various business processes and operations Understanding business strategy Skills (The STATE of the CIO' 06, 2006) SHORT TERM VIEW OF A CIO (EARLY STAGE) Early part of the career may be spent on managing business lines and getting outside of IT to link with the organizational peers and learning how new technologies and systems can help them. It may also require the new applicant to learn about the company's strategy, the expectations of his head and his internal customers, and the dexterity of his own staff. He, thus, needs to learn both the business and the people but more importantly the technology. But here at the first stage, he needs to learn the business and the people, while technology can be dealt later once all the organizational values are set clear in his mind. In short his focus needs to be on people and relationships first, process second, and technology a distant third. But he needs to move fast because he has have lots to learn, stuff to do, and plans to build. (Marianne Broadbent, 2005) ROLE OF A CIO: As the computer technology grows, the role of the CIO has been evolving and changing, it has become one of the most high profile job titles within many organizations. CIOs do more than just making sure if the servers and computers are up and running. They are also asked to take roles in the business aspects like finance and budgeting. A CIO has to provide technology vision and leadership for the organization, including leadership over development and implementation of the technology initiatives.​ The technology initiatives will include Infrastructure, IT operations, and Application Development, ERP, and Web technologies. They are typically responsible for knowing and implementing proper information techniques. Although the role of a CIO is still changing but the essential skills like critical thinking, effective communication and motivation still have to be embraced by these techno-savvy people. Typically, a CIO analyzes and modifies the existing business processes, by using new tools, and changes the projects’ physical infrastructure and network access, by identifying and exploiting the enterprise's knowledge resources. (Stenzel, 2007) CIO JOBS AND DUTIES: CIOs are considered to be a part of the organizations senior management teams, making the strategic plans. They report to the CEOs of the organization. They may also be known as CTO (chief technology officer). But irrespective of his designation and title, a CIO is responsible for the direction and operations of an organization's information technology department. They may be responsible for a staff size of 250+​individuals, and would include direct reports from VP’s, IT Directors, Project Managers, Operations and R&D.​ The job duties of a CIO can include: Making strategic plans Setting technology that is in sync with the business directions. Development and procurement of technology applications Staff management Managing business operations Budget management. Researching and being aware of the latest technological trends Analyzing technology Attending business and technology conferences (NASH, 2008) EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATION REQUIRED: Vast majority of CIOs come from the technology backgrounds, however there isn’t any specific or absolute requirement for CIOs. But it is assumed that they come from info-tech related fields and may have obtained technical certifications during their career. A typical candidate may be well informed and well acquainted with the following fields: computer science, software engineering, MIS. Nuncios may also come from other business fields like finance, accounting or business operations. As far as the level of education is concerned, most of them come from at least bachelors programs. (Stenzel, 2007) INDUSTRY ANALYSIS: TELECOMMUNICATION INDUSTRY Telecommunications industry is responsible for activities and services of electronic systems, and for broadcasting messages through cables, telephone, radio or television. Telecom industries are not the government monopolies, rather are governed and controlled by private people. Wireless technologies have replaced the old, traditional telecom technologies. Telecom industries have the basic objective of enhancing the speed and quality of the internet technology. This type of industry falls under the economic structure of oligopoly. External Environment: Changes in the external environment; social, political and economical, of the technological industries have been occurring rapidly and faster than ever. In every two weeks, new products, and services are created; this fast paced growth is even making the customers confused. Economic Outlook: Presently, the world economy is the moving at a very slow pace as its going through the recovery phase. However, it is the telecom industry that drives to recovery. It is assumed that the overall economic dynamics are in favor of the telecom industry, since it is the major infrastructure for both developing as well as the developed nations. RETAIL INDUSTRY: Another industry that would be suitable for this career path is the retail industry, which is responsible for distributing the finished goods and products to the public. It comprises of the general retailers, departmental stores discount stores and the specialty stores. Economic Outlook The retail market falls mostly under the flexible market. However a great many number of big chains are closing down due to the current economic crisis. The chains are plagued with poor investment strategies and non competitive prices. In short, the retail industry is both collapsing but at the same time surviving. Retail industries fall under the monopolistic competition. Retail industry faces rigid competition. Their slow growth refers to the fact that the firms must fight against each other for their market shares. Recently, the retailers have tried to curtail the rising pricing competition in order to gain the customers loyalty. (DasSharma) MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY: Manufacturing industries refer to those industries that are typically involved in the manufacturing and processing of goods or to create the goods that are further needed to produce more goods and also indulging in the creation of value addition. The manufacturing industry has a significant share of the industrial sector in developed countries. The final products made by these industries may be consumed by the final consumers or serve as the intermediate goods used in the production process. Oligopoly is the most prevalent form of market structure in the manufacturing sector. Economic Outlook: As far as the economic outlook is concerned, Manufacturing executives are the most pessimistic about their sector than the overall economy. Like any other industry, the manufacturing industry is also suffering from the current economic crisis and the slow growth. (Kalpakijan & schmid, 2005) Leading People and Teams: The major Leadership qualities and skills include: Understanding what can be accomplished. Having a commitment with the organizational mission and with the people One leads. Willingness to take risk of loss and failure. Accepting credit for success. The first responsibility for a leader is to have a mission. He needs to make himself clear and needs to make the vision clear to his work force so that people are better engaged in achieving the set objectives. He himself has to be committed to the organization, to his people and to the vision that he creates. This commitment is not momentary; he has to be committed throughout his career. He should practice what he preaches so that his people also follow his guidelines and be committed to the extent that he shows his commitment to work. He has to take a considerable amount of responsibility for his followers, their efforts and lives. He has to take risks. If there are no risks, little leadership is required. The CEO as well as the CIO in any organization usually plays more of a leadership role than any of the other lower or middle managers. (Marianne Broadbent, 2005) Planning for the future in the global marketplace: In order to plan for the future in the global market place, the CIO should be able to do the SWOT analysis and matching the strengths to the company’s opportunities and reducing the threats and trace the weaknesses, he should be able to do the Situational assessment, competitor assessment, and be able to do the contingency planning and core competency planning. (Hunter, 2007) Serving Customers: Customers, want better services from the organization, they want their needs to be catered efficiently. They remain loyal to the businesses that provide good services to them. It is thus very much important for a CIO to evaluate, if his customer’s needs are being catered or not. Moreover, he is also responsible for communicating with the customers, getting first hand knowledge about their needs, problems and expectations from the organization. They may also need to convey to them the various systems and technologies that the customers may use as end users. CONCLUSION: Putting in a nut shell, CIO is the title given to the person responsible for the information, the technologies and the systems deployed in the organization. He may not necessarily come from the Information systems or Information Technology background, but can also come from the business field, as he has to deal with budgeting financing, leading, motivating, communicating, problem solving and the other various business prospects. He should be adaptive and innovative because technology is moving at a rapid pace and if his organization isn’t in sync with the new technologies, it will not just lag behind, rather it will be seen no more. This person is typically responsible for communicating the benefits derived from the new technologies to its people and their impact on his organization. But before that he needs to evaluate whether the benefits from these technologies are aligned with the organization’s mission or not. Works Cited DasSharma, T. (n.d.). occasional_papers/op129/op129.html. Retrieved from www.indianmba.com: http://www.indianmba.com/occasional_papers/op129/op129.html Hunter, M. (2007). Contemporary chief information officer . Kalpakijan, s., & schmid, s. (2005). Manufacturing, Engineering & Technology. Prentice Hall. Marianne Broadbent, E. S. (2005). The new CIO leader. Harvard Business School press. NASH, K. S. (2008). A CIO's guide to operating in a Downturn. Stenzel, J. (2007). CIO best practices . The State Of CIO . (2008). CIO . The STATE of the CIO' 06. (2006). Burgeois, L. (1985). Strategy and Environment: A conceptual study. Jones, G. (1995). Organizational Theory . M.A Addison Wesley. Jones, G. 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