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The grooming of the CIO

As Indian industry demands more from its IT implementations and IT managers, Indian CIOs needs to focus upon developing their soft skills. By Faiz Askari

Everyone dream of a successful career and this is equally true of the field of IT. Zeroing in on the CIO community in India, they are concerned about their overall growth in their respective organisations.

In today’s world where everyone is witnessing growth and every individual is claiming to be advancing towards the next level, the role of a CIO has changed considerably. Interaction with other departments and communicating effectively with colleagues is more important than ever. Earlier top management did not expect a CIO to be a good communicator and did not demand that a CIO to have an in depth understanding of their business. Now these things matter for any CIO who wants to grow from one level to another. Critical non-IT skills such as business acumen, communication, leadership and project management that are usually known as ‘soft skills’, are turning out to be increasingly important as IT becomes more strategic in nature.

The trend in which CIOs get involved in developing soft skills for an organisation has already caught up in the developed world. However, Indian enterprises have not reached that level where soft skill development is visible amongst the Indian CIO community.

Apart from technical expertise and planning, the most critical part of a CIO’s job is implementation and maintenance of business systems (which includes ERP). Giving his insights on this subject, Anand Sengupta, CIO of Dakin Air Conditioning says, “The successful implementation of any business system requires sound process knowledge and soft skills like team building, co-ordination between different functional areas, excellent communication skills and leadership qualities.” Any business system implementation is more of a HR exercise rather than a technical change. He adds, “Managing people and change are the two most important aspects that a CIO has to handle.”

In a recent trip to India, Andre Mendes, vice president & CIO, Special Olympics gave considerable importance to soft skills as they have the potential of taking any Indian CIO to the next phase of his career. “In the past businesses have understood and selected IT as an important tool for their environment. Now they have considerable amount of experience in using IT. So the picture has changed and now the top management of an enterprise is looking at getting strategic benefits from IT implementations. So they have reworked on the responsibilities of their IT managers or CIOs. These new responsibilities include knowing IT as a strategic asset for the organisation.”

Members of IT departments in any enterprise are getting more involved in many non-technical activities to carry out their IT tasks. In doing so, what is gaining exponential importance is the ability of an IT manager to develop his or her interpersonal skills. Management expects that an IT manager or staffer should be top notch to deliver results by working with colleagues in non-IT functions.

The importance of soft skills is not confined to higher levels, but it has its value for every level of an organisation’s IT team. For example, network professionals have to enlighten other staff on the applications of the new wireless network and the implications of a company’s security policies. Their work is no longer confined to the four walls of the server room. No matter how “good” server administrators think they are, they will not be rewarded or promoted unless and until they can communicate well with colleagues or clients.

Knowledge that goes beyond IT

The core competency of any CIO remains his knowledge and in-depth understanding of technology. Having said that, CIOs in India do believe that attaining soft skill set training is essential from them. Sengupta says, “It is of utmost important for a CIO to learn more advanced business processes if he or she wishes to grow in an organisation.” Possessing knowledge beyond IT endows a CIO with tremendous potential as his career possibilities open up to positions like that of the COO or even the CEO.

To make any movement happen CIOs in India need to firmly address the ground realities of business with technical know-how. The industry, however, requires those IT managers who fortify themselves on a continuous basis with up- to-date tech knowledge and concepts. Mendes says, “Training, certification, the Internet and books are all opportunities available for lifelong learning. What about the soft skills of CIOs? As they build up technical expertise, what effort are these CIOs are actually making to develop their non-technical abilities?”

However, while knowing the strategic business of an IT implementation, it becomes all the more important for a CIO to know his business comprehensively. “A technology person will always remain to a techie, but this alone can be a hurdle in his or her growth path in the organisational hierarchy. Mendes also added, “Attaining soft skills know how, as per the organisation’s environment could be a huge benefit for a CIO to grow in the hierarchy.”

Sengupta says, “While targeting a position which is advanced from what any individual is presently handling he has to have some additional knowledge that may advocate his stake in getting to the next level. With this example, I think, understanding how business happens and how management plays its role in doing business are some critical factors for any CIO to achieve a bigger responsibility in their organisation.”

Actions to be taken

The CIO has to be a part of the “think tank” of the organisation and also part of the management team. This will enhance any CIO’s business understanding and as far as soft skills are concerned he has to make a conscious effort. Sengupta also added, “I believe that soft skills can be developed only by the person himself. Trainings and classroom sessions are not of much help.”

However, certifications are not an end and they cannot prove anyone’s ability. You need soft skills to create opportunities for yourself. The essence of any CIO’s technical ability is an opportunity by which he can be part of the top management. Soft skills can be a successful carrier booster for CIOs to cultivate opportunities.