Ways That CIOs Can Introduce Innovation Into The Business

Image Credit CIOs need to join the party and help the company to become more social…
CIOs need to join the party and help the company to become more social…

Quick question: what is the #1 job of a CIO? Hmm, good question, eh? Although this should really be part of the definition of information technology, I’m pretty sure that we could sit around and debate just exactly what is the #1 job of a CIO all day; however, I’m also pretty sure that we could agree that bringing innovation into the business has to be one of the top jobs of both the CIO and the entire IT department. Now the big question is just exactly how should we go about doing this?

It’s Time For CIOs To Get Social

Let’s face it – social media has arrived. All too often the IT department may find itself sitting on the outskirts of this phenomena. As CIO, you are going to need to stand up and show some leadership. No, the IT department does not have to take over the company’s social media efforts, but you are going to have to lead the way.

What this means is that if your company has not figured out how they want to make use of social media, then the IT department is going to have to help them do it. Creating an advisory council that includes all interested parties is a great way to start. Next, the IT department can take on the role of performing sentiment analysis. This is where the IT department monitors social networks in order to determine what customers and suppliers are saying about the company in order to report back to the company.

Marketing, Marketing, Marketing

As CIO, one of the biggest questions that you’ll be dealing with in the future is who your best friend within the company should be is. In the past, I would have said the Chief Financial Officer (CIO). However, going forward I don’t think that that is the case anymore. Instead, I think that the CIO needs to make friends with the company’s Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).

CIOs will always view the IT department as a cost center – a necessary part of any company, but not a revenue driver. The marketing department may have a different view if you work with them. CIOs need to find ways for the IT department to help the marketing department to achieve more. This can include such implementing such projects as providing support for data-driven marketing, analysis of social networking, and assistance in creating both websites and mobile applications.

What All Of This Means For You

Every business looks to their IT department to lead the way when it comes to evaluating new technologies that have shown up in the IT sector. New and innovative ideas can come from these types of evaluations and so the CIO needs to make sure that he or she is out in front leading the charge.

Like it or not, the era of social networking has arrived and it’s not just for after work play anymore. CIOs need to take the time to find out how this new way of communicating with customers and suppliers can be supported by the company’s IT infrastructure. Additionally, in order to show the company the true value of the IT department CIOs need to start to spend more time with the company’s Chief Marketing Officer. Only by doing this will IT be able to move from being a cost center to becoming a strategic asset for the company..

Yes, the life of a CIO is busy. However, making the time to do the proper evaluation of new technologies is a critical part of the job and is key to the importance of information technology. Do this task right, and you will have shown the entire IT department how to remind the rest of the company just how valuable IT really is.

– Dr. Jim Anderson
Blue Elephant Consulting –
Your Source For Real World IT Department Leadership Skills™

Question For You: Do you think that tablets should be introduced into the company slowly because the technology is changing so fast?

Click here to get automatic updates when The Accidental Successful CIO Blog is updated.

P.S.: Free subscriptions to The Accidental Successful CIO Newsletter are now available. Learn what you need to know to do the job. Subscribe now: Click Here!

What We’ll Be Talking About Next Time

Quick question: what is the #1 job of a CIO? Hmm, good question, eh? Although this should really be part of the definition of information technology, I’m pretty sure that we could sit around and debate just exactly what is the #1 job of a CIO all day; however, I’m also pretty sure that we could agree that bringing innovation into the business has to be one of the top jobs of both the CIO and the entire IT department. Now the big question is just exactly how should we go about doing this?