Who’s in charge of your tech?

There’s no doubt that technology is front and centre of every aspect of a modern enterprise. We’ve seen progression from the process driven back-office into the hand of consumers, chat-bots, RPA, AI and Machine Learning are part of our daily lexicon as we seek new and exciting discoveries on the customer journey.

And on the way every part of the enterprise has been introduced to data, digital, UX and cyber-security. We are all becoming cloud natives.

But the proliferation of technology disciplines has led to a dilution amongst the senior technology leadership — today’s modern organisation may find itself with any number of leaders with titles such as (and these are just the ones I have come across in the past few months):

• CIO … Chief Information Officer

• CTO … Chief Technology Officer

• CDO … Chief Data Officer

• CDO … Chief Digital Officer

• CISO … Chief Information Security Officer

• CXO … Chief Experience Officer

• CITA … Chief IT Architect (and Chief Mobile Architect / Chief Cloud Architect)

• CPIO … Chief Process and Innovation Officer

• CIO … Chief Innovation Officer

• CKO … Chief Knowledge Officer

and my favourite (with a brief doff of my hat to Microsoft)… the Chief Storyteller. Microsoft also get a worthy mention for recruiting a Galactic Viceroy of Research Excellence — whilst not a C-Level role is an highly-prized business card to carry.

Is it any surprise that this dilution has, in many respects, changed the way that senior technologists are viewed — it has commoditised the technology leader into a fashion-follower, re-branding constantly to meet the next fad.

Too many chiefs, not enough Indians … could not be truer

Other parts of the organisation have not made the same mistake, finance does not have a CAPO (Chief Accounts Payable Officer — but they should!) or a CMAO (Chief Management Accounts Officer) etc. Instead the financial army gathers for battle behind the CFO. And the CFO takes their seat, quite rightly, at the top table.

A good CxxO (take your pick!) needs to be able to wear a number of hats, demonstrate a wide capability and find a way of shaping their role — regardless of title into the space in the organisation chart they have been allocated. Career progression, done properly, will be based upon their capability not their title.

Maybe we’re witnessing the Darwinian evolution of the C-level to become the data-enriched vanguard of modern business whilst relying on the (shifting) foundations of the unfettered business growth and innovation we have witnessed in the last fifty years.

I sympathise with the CEO, she can’t rely on job titles to know who will genuinely lead the technology. She needs to focus on the individual and not the role and forget the crazy, smorgasbord of fake C-level tiles that proliferate through the self-fulfilling, self-gratifying, self-promotion that has beset the IT organisation in the past few years.

So, to the CEO … pick wisely … identify and engage leaders with the people and organisational skills to lead your technology vision … the right person will adapt to fit the job title of today and tomorrow.