Digital IT needs to become more dynamic and innovative to be a pathfinder for the digital transformation.

Modern CIOs have many personas and face great challenges. It is not sufficient to only keep the light on. Regardless of which industry or the nature of organization you are in, being a digital leader will need to master the art of creating unique, differentiating value from piles of commoditized technologies, but more specifically, what are the digital-savvy CIOs doing to run IT as a change agent and digital transformer? Here is the monthly “CIO Master” Book Tuning.

Reinvent IT for the Digital Age Oct. 2016

The Art of Possible: How to Shift from Transactional IT to Transformational IT Even though IT permeates to almost every corner of the business, many traditional IT organizations are still perceived as an invisible back office maintenance function, without sufficient knowledge about the business model of the organization. Although technology is often the disruptive force behind changes and digital transformation, most IT organizations get stuck at the lower level of maturity, running as a reactive service provider. CIOs as business strategists: How to pursue the art of possible - Make a shift from a mechanical IT to innovative IT? From a reactive IT to accelerating IT? And from transactional IT to transformational IT?

Tapping the Digital Transformation Power of IT”: Technology is pervasive, IT touches both hard business processes and soft human behavior. Digital transformation or business initiatives today nearly always involves some form of technology implementation or information analysis. And history reveals that IT needs to be understood and harnessed by all stakeholders, to fulfill its potential and strategic importance as a strategic differentiator of the company. But more specifically, how can forward-looking organizations tap the digital transformation power of IT to improve business efficiency, effectiveness, responsiveness, and maturity?

Reinventing IT via Digitization, Simplification, and innovation? IT organizations are facing significant transformation, perhaps crossroad is an appropriate word to articulate IT position: Should IT keep running as a transactional support desk or cost center, or can IT reinvent itself as a changing organization to drive digital transformation of the business via digitization, simplification, and innovation?

Three Digital Tuning to Rejuvenate IT Organization : With the increasing speed of change and exponential growth of information, the overly restricted hierarchical organizations are no longer effective enough to adapt to the changes and keep information flow seamlessly, because speed is a key imperative these days and “silo” mentality as a product of rigid hierarchy hinders flexibility and agility. People, process, and technology, how to fine-tune those key business elements to rejuvenate IT and the company as a whole to improve its effectiveness, responsiveness, and maturity?

From Here to There: How to Run an Always-on IT Digital Transformation? At today’s “VUCA” digital dynamic, hyperconnected and always on business working environment, IT is on the journey of digital shift, forward-thinking companies empower IT to play a crucial role in leading the digital transformation of the entire company. CIOs have to deal with constant ambiguity, increasing complexity, rapid change, and unprecedented uncertainty. From here to there, it is a thorny journey. CIOs as top leaders have to be humble to realize there are many things you know you don’t know and perhaps even more which you don't know what you don't know, what’s the premium way to run an always-on IT digital transformation.

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