CIOs and their teams will need a change management strategy and a digital transformation strategy that embraces the can-do attitude and agile approaches that got employees working remotely in a timeframe never experienced before.

They will need a change management strategy, incorporating the digital transformation strategy, to be future fit. This, according to Forrester, is a combination of being adaptive, resilient and creative. 

These are traits that have seen organisations not only survive previous crises such as the burst of the dot.com bubble in 2001-2002 and the global financial crisis of 2207-2008 but will also see them differentiate themselves as the winners, not losers, in this pandemic of 2020.

In this series of articles, I am going to explore what the change management strategy and the digital transformation strategy for IT  looks like and why it is needed.

The tech whisperer for digital transformation

COVID-19 has seen the CIO and IT step out of the shadows and into the spotlight. They were one of the first-responders when the pandemic hit with a remit to look after the health and safety of the workforce and enabling them to work remotely at speed.

A digital transformation that was pegged as a five year program was, in part, achieved in 5 days or less.

The CIO now has the ear of the C-suite and it is imperative that they continue to listen. It is the job of the CIO to make that happen. The CIO has been trying to get IT a seat at the table for decades. No longer do they have to try, the seat has been pulled out and they are being invited to sit down.

To keep that seat, they need a convincing change management strategy and digital transformation strategy. They need to be a tech-whisperer and convince the rest of the C-suite of the digital vision for the organisation.

As Larry Quinlan, global CEO of Deloitte is quoted as saying “The role of a technology leaders is not to develop a digital strategy or vision - it is to embed digital in the business strategy.”

The whisperer skills required of the CIO are what AltoPartners refer to as the C-Appeal:

Composure, connection, confidence, credibility, clarity, conciseness and courage.

The CIO now has to stay in the spotlight - front and centre - influencing, collaborating and building on the momentum and innovation presented by COVID-19.

Commercially savvy

The other week I wrote about the CIO needing to be business-savvy. Business-savvy has a twin - commercial-savvy.

To be the tech-whisperer, the CIO has to have commercial acumen.

The ability to demonstrate strong commercial acumen will be crucial to shift the C-suite’s perception of IT’s role from optimizing IT operational efficiency to driving business effectiveness, value creation and growth.

The CIO has to help the organisation find a competitive advantage, especially with the growing threat from increasing competition.

The economic environment, especially post-pandemic, will require the CIO to drive revenue and contribute to bottom-line goals and organisational growth.

The CIO has to whisper about the trends and technology that are reshaping the industry in which they operate, and how the organisation can leverage these trends to grow market share and gain competitive advantage. They have to whisper about how technology will drive the business strategy and increase performance.

It is these whispers, these conversations, that will convince the executive that the CIO and IT have the skills, capabilities and competencies, to shepherd the organisation through these times of immense change and disruption.

IT has to become a driver of business strategy and commercial success, rather than an order-taker.

Summary

As we emerge from this pandemic, the challenge for most CIOs will be the need to drive innovation and transformation in an environment focused on weathering the financial crisis that is looming.

By demonstrating both business and commercial acumen, the tech-whisperer will be able to finance a digital transformation and drive buy-in it as the CEO and the rest of the C-suite will understand why investment is a priority for business success.

By combining technical knowledge with commercial acumen, the CIO can articulate the value of investment in digital solutions. This is the IT change management strategy for 2020 and beyond.