现代数字领导者必须攀登日益陡峭的责任曲线。成功的首席信息官会接受这一挑战，并与高管同行合作，实现业务转型。
首席信息官的角色处于不断变化的状态。技术专家 CyberArk 的全球首席信息官 Omer Grossman 表示，几年前的一系列角色和职责在今天还远远不够，因此过去十年专注于运营的首席信息官并不是未来的数字领导者。 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
“一些首席信息官只是试图保持灯火通明，”他说。“这是一项基本任务，你不需要首席信息官来担任这个角色——IT 经理可以处理它。为了保持相关性，您作为首席信息官的角色必须不断发展。
开拓性的数字化领导者帮助组织充分利用新兴技术，但要取得成功，他们必须跟上快速变化的步伐，并在正确的时间以正确的成本提供正确的解决方案。好消息是，首席信息官们正在接受这一需求。
Foundry的《2024年首席信息官状况》研究报告显示，与业务同行相比，87%的首席信息官现在更多地参与领导数字化转型计划，85%的IT领导者将首席信息官视为变革者，越来越多地在业务和技术计划方面发挥领导作用。
德勤咨询公司（Deloitte Consulting LLP）董事总经理兼首席信息官项目体验总监Anjali Shaikh表示，首席信息官在数字计划中发挥主导作用并不奇怪。无论是业务主导还是技术主导，技术都触及转型的方方面面，德勤研究表明，59% 的数字领导者认为当今的首席信息官应该实现转型和创新。
“首席信息官处于一个独特的位置，他们对业务有全面的了解，并利用他们的理解来推动转型，”她说。“适应变化，同时应对日益增长的责任和期望，是当今技术高管的必经之路，我们看到他们中的许多人正在从容应对这些转变。” 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
Shaikh说，首席信息官们早就知道技术应该在他们的组织中扮演的角色，但直到最近，其他业务部门才迎头赶上。这种观念的转变是因为技术在每个业务领域都无处不在。与二十年前相比，人们对 IT 的熟悉程度越来越高，聪明的 CIO 正在收获回报。
她补充道：“许多首席信息官通过阻止和处理该角色的传统职责，建立了多年的信誉和信任。“他们现在作为业务领导者被带到对话中，帮助组织思考转型优先事项，因为他们是职能专家，就像最高管理层中的任何其他高管一样。”
招聘公司Nash Squared的首席执行官Bev White表示，首席信息官的角色越来越大并不令人惊讶，因为数字领导者拥有领导成功数字化转型的特质：技术能力、董事会影响力和项目管理技能。这些能力使数字领导者能够很好地领导大规模变革项目。
“首席信息官并不是领导数字化转型的唯一竞争者，但他们比大多数人都更能打勾，”她说。“一个好的首席信息官习惯于将各方聚集在一起进行联系和协作，而他们的技术知识意味着他们了解需要哪些数据和技术来实现业务的转型目标。” 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
一、承担新责任
显而易见的是，首席信息官的角色会随着市场条件和业务需求而不断扩大。尽管首席信息官们以独特的方式适应了责任曲线的急剧增加，但一些基本原理是普遍的。
例如，曼联足球俱乐部的首席信息官阿提克·库雷希（Attiq Qureshi）表示，由于数字化转型是他职责的一部分，因此他希望通过技术为俱乐部赋能。因此，要取得成功，就要与远远超出 IT 领域的人员合作。他将这种协作式数字领导角色称为界限模糊。
“我们俱乐部里有很棒的数据科学家，”他说。“我负责底层数据工程部分，他们进行巧妙的分析。在 Web 应用程序开发方面，我们也拥有一支强大的数字产品团队。他们推动他们想要的特性和功能的议程，而我的职责是专注于这种方法的质量、执行和工程。
Southwest Traders 首席信息官 Ambrose Earle 也指出了跨业务线建立密切工作关系的重要性。他于 2018 年加入公司，担任首席信息官，与整个组织的员工接触，倾听他们的挑战，同时利用他的专业知识为他们所发现的问题提出技术解决方案。 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
“我们可以买到最好的技术，但如果我们不使用它，我们就浪费了钱，”他说。“自从我来到这里以来，这就是我衡量自己的标准：我们是否使用了这项技术，如果我们使用了，那就意味着我们选择了一个好的合作伙伴;他们有一个很好的解决方案并提供了支持。然后，我的团队已经执行了他们的任务，以整合该技术。
这种情绪与家得宝（The Home Depot）的技术研究员哈里·拉马穆尔蒂（Hari Ramamurthy）不谋而合。他说，成功的首席信息官对业务问题有深刻的理解，通过与同事交谈，了解他们的问题，以及从不断增长的工具包中选择数字化转型工具。
“重新构想如何应用技术来解决客户和业务问题是关键，”他说，指的是人工智能和机器学习等新兴技术的兴起，“技术专业人员必须跟上趋势，并确保他们利用最合适的工具来完成特定任务，以提供最佳体验。
Nash Squared 的《数字领导力报告 Pulse》也强调了创新的重要性，报告称 CIO 目前的首要任务是提高运营效率，通常是通过自动化、人工智能和更好地利用数据。然而，十分之三的首席信息官也表示，通过技术创收是他们的首要任务。简言之，创新必须伴随着商业利益的附带秩序。
“董事会希望技术能够改善顶线和底线，这可能是一个艰难的平衡，即使首席信息官们已经习惯于管理它，”Nash Squared的White说。“一方面，他们被要求促进创新并帮助创造收入，另一方面，他们通常也负责治理和安全。 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
未来，技术的重要性只会继续增加。例如，Gen AI将有可能在降低成本的同时提高生产力。CyberArk的格罗斯曼（Grossman）预计，数字领导者在利用这些新兴技术方面的核心作用将意味着高级CIO在未来将变得更加重要。
“如果我展望5到10年后，更成熟的组织将在一个保护伞下管理这些不同的功能——CIO保护伞，”他说。“责任的增加将使首席信息官成为公司最重要的C级高管之一，因为技术正在彻底改变世界，而首席信息官可以发挥重要作用。 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
二、协作以取得卓越成果
过去的 IT 经理已经让位于现代数字领导者，他们使用技术来实现长期业务增长。如今，首席信息官处于决策过程的核心，肩负着角色、职责和关系的重大转变。
保险公司 Hastings Direct 的首席信息官 Sasha Jory 表示，如果不与业务部门携手合作，就无法领导技术转型。这种与高级管理人员的密切联系意味着数字领导者拥有了一种新的权威感。然而，Jory表示，那些因为知名度提高而产生自我重要性感的首席信息官不太可能出类拔萃。
“如果你是一个脱离了业务的首席信息官，我认为你不会成功，也不会把业务带到它需要的地方，”她说。“我希望在数字化转型中发挥主导作用不会落到任何首席信息官的头上，因为该计划应该是为了您的客户、成果和业务合作伙伴的更大利益。”
曼联的库雷希对此表示赞同，并表示，如果首席信息官们将承担数字化转型责任的机会视为抢夺土地的机会，他们将会举步维艰。技术领导者可以理所当然地为自己日益增长的角色和责任感到自豪，但他们应该把时间花在建立联系上，而不是扩大领土。
“我与一个人力资源团队合作，他们热衷于探索如何利用技术让我们的同事更好地完成工作，”他说。“我正在研究分析和数据科学中非常复杂的用例，所以这与土地掠夺、授权和领域无关。这是关于编排和协作的。 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
JP Avelange 是技术专家 Expereo 的首席信息官，他是另一位数字领导者，他指出了编排的重要性。首席信息官日益增长的影响力可能会让一些人感到惊讶，尤其是那些低估了 IT 在企业中的影响的人。然而，现代数字领导者必须扩大其范围并适应新的需求以保持相关性。
“为了建立一个有利的商业环境，首席信息官需要充当协调者，”Avelange说。“他们必须与其他高管建立牢固的关系，以便在更广泛的业务目标上保持一致。他们还应该鼓励跨职能协作，以确保共同创造价值，并打破IT和其他部门之间的孤岛。
虽然首席信息官的角色发生了变化，但数字领导者的类型发生了更大的变化，Hastings Direct的Jory说。首席信息官对技术战略采取总体观点并依靠员工大军来实施他们的想法的日子已经一去不复返了。如今，首席信息官必须深深植根于业务和客户的需求中。
“一切都发展得如此之快，”她说。“你不能坐在那里写三年转型计划，经历大量的治理和繁文缛节。如果你有一个为期三年的数字化转型计划，它将在三个月内失效。你需要敏捷和响应，要做到这一点，你需要协作。 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
原文翻译：
CIOs are stretched more than ever before — and that’s a good thing
Modern digital leaders have to climb an ever steepening responsibility curve. Successful CIOs embrace this challenge and collaborate with their executive peers to transform the business.
The CIO role is in a constant state of flux. What was a thorough set of roles and responsibilities a few years ago is far from adequate today, so the operationally focused CIO of the last decade isn’t the digital leader of the future, says Omer Grossman, global CIO at technology specialist CyberArk.
“Some CIOs just try and keep the lights on,” he says. “That’s a basic task and you don’t need a CIO for that role — an IT manager can handle that. To stay relevant, your role as a CIO must evolve.”
Pioneering digital leaders help organizations make the most out of emerging technologies, but to be successful, they must keep up with the fast pace of change and deliver the right solutions at the right time, and at the right cost. The good news is CIOs are embracing this demand.
Foundry’s 2024 State of the CIO research report shows 87% of CIOs are now more involved in leading digital transformation initiatives than their business counterparts, and 85% of IT leaders who responded view the CIO role as a changemaker, increasingly taking the lead on business and technology initiatives.
Anjali Shaikh, MD and CIO Program Experience director at Deloitte Consulting LLP, says it’s not surprising that CIOs play the lead role in digital initiatives. Technology touches every part of a transformation, regardless of whether it’s business-led or technology-led, and Deloitte research suggests that 59% of digital leaders believe today’s CIOs should enable transformation and innovation.
“CIOs are in a unique position where they have a full view of the business and are using their understanding to drive transformation,” she says. “Adapting to change while addressing growing responsibilities and expectations is par for the course for today’s technology executives, and we’re seeing many of them take these shifts in their stride.” 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
Shaikh says CIOs have long known the role technology should play in their organizations, but it’s only more recently the rest of the business has caught up. This shift in perception is because technology is pervasive across every business area. There’s an increased familiarity with IT compared to two decades ago, and smart CIOs are reaping the rewards.
“Many CIOs have built years of credibility and trust by blocking and tackling the traditional responsibilities of the role,” she adds. “They’re now being brought to the conversation as business leaders to help the organization think through transformational priorities because they’re functional experts like any other executive in the C-suite.”
Bev White, CEO at recruiter Nash Squared, says the growing role of the CIO is unsurprising since digital leaders hold the attributes to lead a successful digital transformation: technical ability, boardroom influence, and project management skills. These capabilities make digital leaders well placed to lead large-scale change projects.
“The CIO isn’t the only contender to lead digital transformation, but they tick more boxes than most,” she says. “A good CIO is used to bringing parties together to connect and collaborate, while their technical know-how means they understand what data and technology is needed to meet the business’ transformation objectives.” 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
1. Taking on new responsibilities
What’s clear is the CIO role continues to broaden in response to market conditions and business demands. And despite CIOs adapting to this steep increase in the responsibility curve in unique ways, some basic fundamentals are universal.
Attiq Qureshi, CDIO at Manchester United Football Club, for instance, says that because digital transformation is part of his mandate, he’s expected to empower the club through technology. So delivering successful results means working with people far beyond the IT domain. He refers to this collaborative digital leadership role as a blurring of lines.
“We’ve got amazing data scientists at the club,” he says. “I deal with the underlying data-engineering part, and they do the clever analytics. In web app development, we’ve got a strong digital product team, too. They drive the agenda on features and functions they want, and my role is focused on the quality, execution, and engineering of that approach.” 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
Southwest Traders CIO Ambrose Earle also points to the importance of a close-working relationship across lines of business. He joined the company in 2018 and in his role as CIO, he engages with people across the organization, listening to their challenges while using his expertise to suggest technological solutions to the problems with which they identify.
“We can buy the best technology but if we don’t use it, we’ve wasted money,” he says. “Since I’ve been here, that’s what I measure myself against: are we using the technology, and if we are, that means we’ve picked a good partner; they have a good solution and provided support. Then my team has executed on their part to integrate that technology.”
That sentiment chimes with Hari Ramamurthy, technology fellow at The Home Depot. He says successful CIOs have a deep understanding of business problems from speaking with colleagues, understanding their issues, and selecting digital transformation tools from an ever-growing kitbag.
“Reimagining how technology can be applied to solve customer and business problems is key,” he says, referring to the rise of emerging technologies such as AI and ML. “Technology professionals must keep up with trends and ensure they’re leveraging the most appropriate tools for a particular task to deliver the best experiences.” 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
Nash Squared’s Digital Leadership Report Pulse also highlights the significance of innovation, reporting that the key priority for CIOs right now is to improve the efficiency of operations, typically through automation, AI, and better use of data. However, three in 10 CIOs also say revenue generation through technology is their top priority. Innovation, in short, must come with a side order of business benefits.
“Boards want technology to improve the top and bottom line, which can be a tough balance, even if it’s one that CIOs are getting used to managing,” says Nash Squared’s White. “On the one hand, they’re being asked to promote innovation and help generate revenue, and on the other, they’re often charged with governance and security, too.”
The importance of technology will only continue to increase going forward as well. Gen AI, for example, will make it possible to boost productivity while reducing costs. CyberArk’s Grossman expects the central role of digital leaders in exploiting these emerging technologies will mean high-level CIOs will be even more important in the future. 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
“If I’m looking five to 10 years from now, the more mature organization will manage those different capabilities under one umbrella — the CIO umbrella,” he says. “That increase in responsibility will make the CIO one of the most important C-level executives in the company because technology is revolutionizing the world, and the CIO has a big part to play.”
2. Collaborating to deliver great results
IT managers of the past have given way to modern digital leaders who use technology to enable long-term business growth. Today, the CIO is at the very heart of decision-making processes, shouldering big shifts in roles, responsibilities, and relationships.
Sasha Jory, CIO at insurer Hastings Direct, says you can’t lead technology transformation without working hand in glove with the business. This close interface with senior executives means digital leaders have a new sense of authority. However, Jory says CIOs who develop a sense of self-importance because of their increased visibility are unlikely to excel.
“If you’re a CIO divorced from the business, I don’t think you’ll be successful and get the business to where it needs to be,” she says. “I hope that taking the lead role for digital transformation wouldn’t go to any CIO’s head because the initiative should be for the greater good of your customers, outcomes, and business partners.” 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
Manchester United’s Qureshi agrees and says CIOs will struggle if they see the opportunity to take responsibility for digital transformation as a land grab. Technology leaders can be rightly proud of their growing roles and responsibilities, but they should spend their time building bonds rather than expanding territories.
“I work with an HR team keen to explore how we can use technology to let our colleagues do their jobs better,” he says. “I’m working with very sophisticated use cases in analytics and data science, so it’s not about land grab, mandate, and domain. It’s about orchestration and collaboration.”
JP Avelange, CIO for technology specialist Expereo, is another digital leader who points to the importance of orchestration. The growing influence of the CIO might come as a surprise to some, especially people who underestimated the impact of IT in the enterprise. However, modern digital leaders must extend their scope and adapt to new demands to stay relevant.
“To build a conducive business environment, CIOs need to act as orchestrators,” says Avelange. “They must foster strong relationships with other C-suite executives to align on wider business objectives. They should also encourage cross-functional collaboration to ensure co-creation of value and break down silos between IT and other departments.” 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
While the role of the CIO has changed, the type of digital leader has shifted more dramatically, says Hastings Direct’s Jory. Gone are the days when a CIO took an overarching view of technology strategy and relied on armies of staff to implement their ideas. Today, CIOs must be deeply embedded in the business and the demands of their customers.
“Everything is moving so fast,” she says. “You can’t afford to sit there and write three-year transformation plans and go through loads of governance and red tape. If you have a three-year digital transformation plan, it’ll be dead in three months. You need to be agile and responsive, and to do that, you need to collaborate.” 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
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