Ade feels that it’s time to give up the idea of CIOs belonging on corporate boards. To Ade, CIOs are too wrapped up in data centres and PC support issues to ever really deliver the kind of transformation and innovation that businesses need. It’s not just because they’re perceived as back-office specialists, it’s because they are back-office specialists.
Ade says that the IT function needs to be split into the operational part (which can often be outsourced), the business IT role (he calls it ‘business entwinement’) and the innovation role (which may not even be driven by technologists). Not many CIOs would accept Ade’s characterisation of their current status, but I imagine many would recognise it.
He also talks about how CIOs have been further humiliated during the recession, with budgets being slashed to the bone and the IT function being pushed further from the front line of innovation. For all the lip-service paid to the idea of investing through recession, innovation still equals risk and cost in most boardrooms. It’s the rare CIO and board that properly values the strategic role of information in every business.
Are visionary CIOs as rare as Ade McCormack believes?
Enjoyed this article?
Take part in the discussion
Related blog/content

Killed by the buzz: Why we’re losing words to the buzz effect (and what to do about it)
Here’s a question for you: What do buzzwords and That One Guy You Hate™ have in common? You guessed it. They both sneak into every conversation…
Nur Caplin | 20. 09. 2023

How to break free from the benchmark trap
If you’re turning to industry benchmarks to set your performance goals – make sure you’re asking these two questions.
Agustin Rejon | 06. 09. 2023

The B2B generative AI design shootout: Part 2
We put different models of generative AI to a heftier task in Part 2 of our three-part design test shootout.
Brian Terry | 29. 08. 2023
There are no comments yet for this post. Why not be the first?