Politics – A CIO competency

The festering underbelly of politics was exposed again recently in the UK when it was revealed that the Labour party had planned to launch a smear campaign against key members of the opposition party. The allegations had absolutely no substance. However the perpetrators knew that this didn’t matter as the net effect would be to forever link their targets with the unfounded ‘dirt’.

This is a sad reality of politics. It is also a reality of life. The higher the stakes the tougher the game is played. CIOs need to be conscious of the politics in their organisations. Technologists in general are not political. The power hierarchy in the IT department is generally based on IQ and tech savvyness. 

But the closer the IT function comes to the user community the more likely it is to encounter the political world. And where IT leadership meets business leadership politics will underpin the transactions.

This can and does leave ex-techie CIOs somewhat exposed. Hard work and being smart got them to the top of the IT tree. However political innocence results in a glass-ceiling career wise. It often results in a need to move on having been made the fall-guy for the mistake made by someone more politically adept.

Bottom line: Politics is a reality. It is also a competence. One that CIOs need to learn if they are going to ensure IT occupies its rightful place at the top table.