- Business transformations are happening, but CIOs are often involved only when it comes time to implement change. This makes it difficult for the CIO to be perceived as an organizational leader.
- CIOs find it difficult to juggle operational activities, strategic initiatives, and involvement in business transformation.
- CIOs don’t always have the IT organization structured and mobilized in a manner that facilitates the identification of transformation opportunities, and the planning for and the implementation of organization-wide change.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Don’t take an ad hoc approach to transformation.
- You’re not in it alone.
- Your legacy matters
Impact and Result
- Elevate your stature as a business leader.
- Empower the IT organization to act with a business mind first, and technology second.
- Create a high-powered IT organization that is focused on driving lasting change, improving client experiences, and encouraging collaboration across the entire enterprise.
- Generate opportunities for organizational growth, as manifested through revenue growth, profit growth, new market entry, new product development, etc.
Become a Transformational CIO Research & Tools
Start here – read the Executive Brief
Read our Executive Brief to find out why you should undergo an evolution in your role as a business leader, review Info-Tech’s methodology, and understand the four ways we can support you in completing this project.Besides the small introduction, subscribers and consulting clients within this management domain have access to:
- Become a Transformational CIO – Phases 1-6
1. Are you ready to lead transformation?
Determine whether you are ready to focus your attention on evolving your role.
- Become a Transformational CIO – Phase 1: Are You Ready to Lead Transformation?
2. Build business partnerships
Create a plan to establish key business partnerships and position IT as a co-leader of transformation.
- Become a Transformational CIO – Phase 2: Build Business Partnerships
- Partnership Strategy Template
3. Develop the capability to transform
Mobilize the IT organization and prepare for the new mandate.
- Become a Transformational CIO – Phase 3: Develop the Capability to Transform
- Transformation Capability Assessment
4. Shift IT’s focus to the customer
Align IT with the business through a direct, concentrated focus on the customer.
- Become a Transformational CIO – Phase 4: Shift IT’s Focus to the Customer
- Transformational CIO Value Stream Map Template
- Transformational CIO Business Capability Map Template
5. Adopt a transformational approach to leadership
Determine the key behaviors necessary for transformation success and delegate effectively to make room for new responsibilities.
- Become a Transformational CIO – Phase 5: Adopt a Transformational Approach to Leadership
- Office of the CIO Template
6. Sustain the transformational capability
Track the key success metrics that will help you manage transformation effectively.
- Become a Transformational CIO – Phase 6: Sustain the Transformational Capability
- Transformation Dashboard
Workshop: Become a Transformational CIO
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
1 Determine Readiness to Become a Transformational CIO
The Purpose
Understand stakeholder and executive perception of the CIO’s performance and leadership.
Determine whether the CIO is ready to lead transformation.
Key Benefits Achieved
Decision to evolve role or address areas of improvement as a pre-requisite to becoming a transformational CIO.
Activities
1.1 Select data collection techniques.
1.2 Conduct diagnostic programs.
1.3 Review results and define readiness.
Outputs
Select stakeholder and executive perception of the CIO
Decision as to whether to proceed with the role evolution
2 Build Business Partnerships
The Purpose
Identify potential business partners and create a plan to establish key partnerships.
Key Benefits Achieved
An actionable set of initiatives that will help the CIO create valuable partnerships with internal or external business stakeholders.
Activities
2.1 Identify potential business partners.
2.2 Evaluate and prioritize list of potential partners.
2.3 Create a plan to establish the target partnerships.
Outputs
Partnership strategy
3 Establish IT’s Ability to Transform
The Purpose
Make the case and plan for the development of key capabilities that will enable the IT organization to handle transformation.
Key Benefits Achieved
A maturity assessment of critical capabilities.
A plan to address maturity gaps in preparation for a transformational mandate.
Activities
3.1 Define transformation as a capability.
3.2 Assess the current and target transformation capability maturity.
3.3 Develop a roadmap to address gaps.
Outputs
Transformation capability assessment
Roadmap to develop the transformation capability
4 Shift IT’s Focus to the Customer
The Purpose
Gain an understanding of the end customer of the organization.
Key Benefits Achieved
A change in IT mindset away from a focus on operational activities or internal customers to external customers.
A clear understanding of how the organization creates and delivers value to customers.
Opportunities for business transformation.
Activities
4.1 Analyze value streams that impact the customer.
4.2 Map business capabilities to value streams.
Outputs
Value stream maps
Business capability map
5 Establish Transformation Leadership and Sustain the Capability
The Purpose
Establish a formal process for empowering employees and developing new leaders.
Create a culture of continuous improvement and a long-term focus.
Key Benefits Achieved
Increased ability to sustain momentum that is inherent to business transformations.
Better strategic workforce planning and a clearer career path for individuals in IT.
A system to measure IT’s contribution to business transformation.
Activities
5.1 Set the structure for the office of the CIO.
5.2 Assess current leadership skills and needs.
5.3 Spread a culture of self-discovery.
5.4 Maintain the transformation capability.
Outputs
OCIO structure document
Transformational leadership dashboard