Why the CIO Must Give Up Something for the Greater Good

The Wall Street Journal

A CIO once told me that it's impossible to be perceived as strategic when you're person the CEO calls when email isn't working. The quote stuck with me for a reason beyond his specific predicament. Software, in the words of venture capitalist Marc Andreesen, "Is Eating the World". So, in this time of disruption and downward pressure on costs, how can a CIO manage commoditized technologies and also be responsible for making technology a key part of every business strategy?

For the most part, the answer is that the CIO can't. The skills, approaches, tools, and executive qualities required to drive operational aspects of commodity IT services are different, if not antithetical, to driving strategic use of technology for competitive market differentiation. Instead CEOs should look to split the role into two. The first drives commoditized technology improvements, basing performance on cost reduction and maintenance of service levels. While it's possible to do this in innovative ways, the ultimate goal is to allow for investment to shift towards more impactful technology that directly drives the business...

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...Narinder Singh is the Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Appirio