Understanding the role of the modern CIO
Is the CIO a bridge builder, the engineer who designs the bridge, or the forecaster of the bridge’s toll revenues?
The answer is that the CIO’s role is a combination of all these functions. Over the last couple of years, CIOs have transformed from fulfilling functional, technology-operations roles into broader remits, including being strategic change agents who foster business growth.
In fact, Lenovo’s recent global CIO study revealed a staggering 90% of CIOs report their roles and responsibilities have expanded greatly beyond just managing technology. Their influence today extends to areas such as ESG, diversity, equity and inclusion, HR and talent acquisition and even sales and marketing.
Today, many CIOs find themselves in the ‘mission control’ seat of their organizations. The majority (88%) believe their role is the most critical component of their company’s continued operation and 77% believe their performance is more important to the success of their organization than the work of other C-suite roles.
The CIO is increasingly evolving into a more complex role. They need to tackle obstacles that come with expanding digital capabilities while implementing dynamic strategies that improve data collection and protection. But how can the modern CIO cope with an ever-growing list of responsibilities?
The COVID-19 pandemic set off a rapid acceleration of digital transformation, as companies raced to accommodate remote workers, make business applications accessible to employees, partners and customers, and embrace new technologies. However, the promotion of the CIO to ‘mission control’ was well underway even pre-pandemic.
Digital disruption and emerging technologies were already providing CIOs with more opportunities to innovate internally. By extension, they were called upon to hone their organization’s competitive edge and uplift the customer and employee experience, with over 72% of large businesses and 64% of medium-sized business already having an online and physical presence pre-pandemic.
The rise of remote work during the pandemic accelerated this transformation: 82% said the CIO role has become more challenging compared to two years ago, as they confront a vast array of new challenges, from the increasing use of AI and automation to talent acquisition among a global, remote workforce. Some of the most pressing challenges cited in Lenovo’s study include data privacy and security (66%), cybersecurity and ransomware (66%) and keeping up with technological change (65%).
All of this means that today’s CIOs are under intense pressure to perform and deliver results according to critical business metrics, like creating new business opportunities and revenue streams.
