Big opportunities for strategic CIO leadership today

What about the need for digital upskilling?

Koehler: CIOs are worried about digitally upskilling because they realize they’re going to put this newer technology in the hands of the business.

What’s interesting is that about half of the CIOs are saying they’re prioritizing things such as data analytics, and that puts you immediately in the trenches with the business. [Those CIOs will need to ask:] Do people have the analytic ‘muscles’ to think about data creatively — not just compile it? You can build an awesome tool, deliver data in more real time, but if people [throughout the company] don’t pick it up and use it, then you’re going to hear things like, ‘I don’t know what value I got from that tool.’

CIOs and next in work

From “CIO/CTO and Technology Leaders” Next in Work pulse survey: Data analytics to drive better decision-making (49%) tops the list of priority areas, followed What are some concrete next steps that a strategic CIO can take in leading digital and upskilling efforts?

Koehler: The first step is education-related. The CIO can set expectations and educate to create a baseline technology fluency. For example, we’ll do fluency courses for board members or the C-suite on subjects such as ‘What is cloud?’ What does that even mean and what are the building blocks? If I’m a CIO stepping into technology conversations, that’s a moment to educate and raise everybody’s level of [digital] fluency and understanding.

A critical first step in a change management program is widespread representation — that governance and sponsorship cuts across different pillars of an organization.

The human-level adoption and willingness to accept new technology goes beyond just fingers on a keyboard. CIOs need to hit digital upskilling straight on. If modernization takes place where the nature of work changes, work may be — for example — less clerical or data gathering, and more thought or analytic intensive. And that’s a different muscle.

CIOs do have a responsibility to make sure everything is secure. That they’re worried about cybersecurity comes up again and again. But the core human aspects [of successful business technology change] are critical. You have to have a change management program that reflects those realities.