IT is dead. Long live I3

One of the perks of being a judge on the CIO100 is that I gain exposure to some hi-grade CIO wisdom which provides valuable input into my CIO coaching practice. The awards ceremony on the 3rd April certainly delivered from a wisdom top-up perspective.

The top two CIOs: 1st place Stephen Kneebone (Nissan) and 2nd place Phil Jordan (Telefonica) provided insights into what traditional and aspirant CIOs need to internalise to be successful.

Two main points stuck with me:

• You cannot be an effective CIO unless you are on the board.
• The IT industry is dead. We should be thinking of the I3 industry.

I3 meaning Integration, Information and Innovation.

Integration shouldn’t be a surprise, but expect more as services are increasingly sourced from the outside in.

Information no surprise either as it has been part of the job title for some time.

Innovation shouldn’t be a surprise. However many CIOs are too focused on running the factory on a tight budget to think about innovation.

A key point regarding innovation is that not only should CIOs be looking for the application of new technologies to give the organisation a competitive advantage (doing today’s stuff best) but they should also be expert at harnessing new technologies to disrupt industries (doing tomorrow’s stuff first).

So now CIOs have the blueprint for success. Next step is to chart their journey.