The march to digital transformation is already well underway in organizations all around the globe. Every sector, industry, and line of business is connecting, communicating, and collaborating towards achieving a digital strategy that works.
However, companies need to know that this transformation won’t happen overnight.
Successful CIOs are those that can draw down on their business skills, but remain open-minded to innovations and tech that help teams reach business goals.
The critical building-blocks to getting consensus and action from employees and management on integrating automated solutions for workflows come down to the following.
- Knowing the starting point for the organization
- Distinctly defining outcomes
- Being brief and effective with communications
There are plenty of other factors influencing the design and implementation of digital strategies. Therefore, the best CIOs engage with employees and managers to find pragmatic solutions that offer opportunities for growth.
The Outside-In Approach
The rise of consumer technology led to an “outside-in” approach by start-ups, where they look to specialize in doing one function well. However, this strategy contradicts everything most CIOs and organizations know about internal systems and processes.
CIOs can learn a big lesson from this strategy, by looking less at the tech, and more at the outcomes they want to achieve.
When the CIO knows where they want to go, they have the opportunity to create a hybrid model of internal resources that embraces automated service technologies to bolster organizational growth.
Focusing on Hiring and Retaining Talent
A significant part of the journey for CIOs is ensuring the company has the necessary skills to work with its digital platforms efficiently. However, in the skills crisis currently unfolding around the world, US business leaders state they’re experiencing a talent shortfall of 68%.
CIOs need to pay special attention to hiring the right people to run the new systems. In many cases, your current IT team might not be able to manage your digital transformation. In such a case, CIOs must find additions to the team that make sense.
CIOs Need to Think about Gen-Z
Today’s modern CIO might only be a few years from retirement. However, over the coming years, as Gen Xers exit the workforce, we can expect more CIOs to be 30-something millennials. For any CIO to experience success with rolling out a digital strategy, they need to start thinking outside the box of older generations.
With Gen Zs poised to enter the workforce at a staggering rate over the next decade, CIOs need to consider the needs of 20-something employees when designing and implementing digital transformations.
Gen Zs have higher expectations for employer engagement, as well as an employee experience that provides meaning in their work. Those organizations that fail to cater to the needs of the next generation will find it challenging to hire and secure talent.
When the modern CIO understands that digital transformation begins in the minds of employees, and not in the server, they can create the future of work.
Innovation, communication, speed, and creativity, are all the hallmarks of a top CIOs thinking as we move deeper into the digital era of business.
