Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Digital CIOs with Five Contemporary Intelligence

CIOs need to present multidimensional leadership intelligence, intensify their unique leadership strength, practice multidimensional digital management disciplines.

Digital transformation represents a break from the past, with a high level of impact and complexity. IT plays a crucial role in leading changes and catalyzing innovation. Therefore, the Digital CIO is a sophisticated leadership role with multidimensional intelligence, having an in-depth understanding of the breadth and depth of the digital ecosystem, in order to manage multifaceted IT and reinvent IT organization as a change agent effortlessly.





Strategic intelligence: Strategic thinking is simply about keeping the end in mind. Information is power and it depends whether that power is used for the good purpose of the organization or political point scoring. Indeed, all strategies are made for growth. A Strategic CIO keeps the business goal in mind, doesn't leave this goal solely to businesses, and leverage IT and information power to achieve high-performance business results. The difference between the tactical and strategic IT leader is that the first one thinks about the tools while the second one is thinking business, and how to apply the tools to gain an advantage over competitors. CIOs with strategic intelligence can conceptualize the future state of the organization, set the direction, leverage information & technology for creating the blue ocean to provide a strategic business advantage. They also know how to delegate, trust their staff to get things done without having to do all things themselves so that they can spend more time on strategic thinking, and set the right priorities to reinvent IT for getting digital ready.

System Intelligence:
Systems Thinking is about understanding the interconnectivity between parts and the whole, see both forest and trees. One of the most powerful moves in Systems Thinking is to see something that appears static (a noun) as dynamic and changing. When perceiving the dynamism in the world, digital leaders today inevitably see connectivity and the possibility of change for evolution. Because engineering practices require systematic thinking and step-wise problem-solving skills. In systems thinking, typically processes fall within the system, part of systems engineering, and basically the interactions and a critical path that defines the "system." CIOs with system intelligence have both a bigger picture perspective and technical understanding, articulate clear messages on how IT can bridge the gap between strategy and execution, an industrial company and digital business, optimize organizational processes to run a highly integrated business and ensure seamless business execution.

Design Intelligence: To digitize businesses, it's important to leverage design thinking for improving business maturity from functioning to firm to delight. More and more of work is less about design in its purity and more focused on holistic and strategic business initiatives. The outside-in business view stimulates design thinking and develops a high mature digital organization. Digital CIOs need to wear their design thinking hat to tap the creative side of IT. The strategic objective of design thinking is to understand what your customers need and help the organization orient itself towards those needs in pursuit of its business objectives. The forward-thinking leaders understand how things like design thinking can fundamentally change organizations, build a strong brand, improve the overall organizational maturity and make the societal impact.

Risk Intelligence:
In the digital age of unprecedented uncertainty and global economy, risk has never been a critical topic than it is today, how to frame a risk intelligent enterprise is the top priority at every organization’s agenda. Traditional CIOs have tried to reduce technology and IT risk as much as possible, with risk avoidance mentality. It perhaps also lose some business growth opportunities. Because opportunities and risks are often coexisting in today’s digital dynamic. The leader with risk intelligence will integrate risk management into the enterprise’s core decision-making processes with the proactive risk management scenario. They make a smooth shift from 'risk-avoidance' to the 'risk management' and risk intelligence mentality. CIOs with risk intelligence can naturally and skillfully apply risk-based thinking for multidisciplinary IT management.


Culture Intelligence: Digital workplace is fluid, alive, creative and productive. Culture - the collective mindsets, attitude, and habit, is the beating heart of an organization. It determines what the place feels like, how people behave, whether people feel empowered or not etc. Organizations need to invest in the cultivation of capacity for innovation. A healthy corporate culture is very important as a determinant of business performance and brand. IT skills gap is a reality. Thus, building a culture of learning and innovation is particularly important for getting IT digital ready. Among other considerations, culture stands as a key factor not only in attaining organizational goals but also in the attraction and retention of desirable employees. The modern leaders with cultural intelligence can lead their own organization to the global scope and even make a significant impact on human society as a whole.

Digital organizations are hyperconnected and interdependent, and they have to continue to adapt to the digital new normal with “VUCA” characteristics -Velocity, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. IT plays a pivotal role in leading digital transformation with many expectations from BoDs, business partners, customers, and varying shareholders. CIOs need to present multidimensional leadership intelligence, intensify their unique leadership strength, practice multidimensional digital management disciplines, and tailor their own leadership/management style to make the digital fit.

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