CIO: Not Only As 'Change Leaders' But Also As 'Change Agents'

Chief information officer (CIO) is a more popular concept in Vietnam. Amid the technical and IT boom, information and intelligence management is important work in social and economic development. The roles of policymakers and planners in the process of applying and developing intellectual and technological resources are highly appreciated.

 

According to the Global CIO Magazine, CIO must be a model of change when they concentrate their efforts on professional process, relationship, information inflows and services. Then, they are in the position of policymakers and strategic planners. In other words, they must understand their companies very clearly. Thus, the innovation in technological application is the basic groundwork for CIO to satisfy the demanding requirements in both business operation and competition maximisation.

 

Mr Norman Scott, Partner, Clients and Market Development Leader, ASEAN, IBM Global Business Services, said: CIO is like the strategic ally of CEO in running a business and many will be the successor to the CEO. Therefore, CIO will play a core role in helping CEO establish and consolidate the decisive characteristics of the enterprises of the future. CIO will know how to realise the vision of CEO. According to Mr Steven Leonard, President of EMC Asia Pacific/ Japan, EMC Corporation, CIO will have new roles like a CFO in the financial field. If CFO is responsible for financial management of a company and understands the inflows and outflows of the capital sources to manage, protect and control them, CIO is responsible for information source, where the information will reach and what to do with information. CIO will find seek opportunities to boost financial savings, increase the value of the company and avoid risks.

 

CIO is facing a challenge of creating IT advances, supporting for quick changes and increasing opportunities for CEO. The budget for IT has changed. Up to 70 per cent is spent on application and system maintenance. The budget for new projects or project development is very small. This will leave pressure on CIOs when they have to adapt to new changes and satisfy the requests of their CEO.

 

From the above reasons, we see that CIOs must take on all heavy tasks - not only as 'change leaders' but also as 'change agents'. They lead to overcome technological and cultural barriers. They take part in, lead and ensure the active support for changes in the company. Another role of CIO is to enhance corporate social responsibility.

 

Mr Steve Leonard added that CIO needs to balance their roles to avoid risks, save costs and maximise values. At the same time, they must manage changes in the company, boost IT investment and improve the IT capacity of the company. The challenge of CIO is to focus more on information, not only technology. To start with this, CIO needs to change its traditional task of supporting the company. Their role must be policy-planning.

 

The classification of IT opportunities, markets, corporate forms and organisation are top missions. If ASEAN wants to have better CIOs, it needs to create conditions favourable for CIOs to develop new skills, which, will in turn, support them to communicate with other employees, partners, customers and suppliers.