Vol. XXII, No. 26
Monday, September 1, 2008 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Corporate News
THE GROWING importance of information technology (IT) in corporations, from being a mere cost-cutting solution to a legitimate competitive edge, is making the position of chief information officers (CIO) — the company’s IT head — more important.
A global study conducted by IBM in May showed how a CIO’s traits, which include being hungry for change and globally integrated, can be a key in turning the chief executive officer’s (CEO) vision into reality, which in turn can transform the business into the "enterprise of the future."
"More organizations need to shift their mind-set of IT’s role from its traditional status as a cost center to a competitive engine it represents today, fueling business growth," James Velasquez, IBM Philippines country general manager, said in a statement.
With businesses becoming more global as a result of partnerships with foreign firms, CIOs need to be more globally integrated and "take the leadership position in overcoming technological, cultural and organizational barriers to integration," said the IBM study, which surveyed 1,000 CEOs.
For one, he must ensure that the right infrastructure is in place for a seamless flow of information across the world, using the latest technology. This will lead to improved communications and access via any device, from anywhere at any time, the study said.
CIOs also need to be innovative by understanding markets and customers using available information. With the amount of sales and market data that need to be stored doubling every 18 months, CIOs need not only store this data efficiently and safely, but also turn these information into insight about customers and markets.
The CIO also needs to be flexible to allow the company to keep up with the pace of change, including integrating acquisitions into the fabric of the enterprise.
The study also showed how the CIO can be part, not only of a company’s internal operations, but also its corporate social responsibility agenda. Particularly, CIOs should push the adoption of environment-friendly products and processes, which save money and energy.
"This is essential given the increasing costs of power, cooling systems and the rising costs involved in managing IT infrastructure," IBM said.
Meanwhile, a survey of 160 CIOs from local and multinational companies in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam between January and May found that "94% of companies in [Southeast Asia] say that the role of the chief information officer is gaining more importance in business."
The survey said CIOs in the region "view leading employees as a key capability that goes beyond managing and retaining IT staff in general, but also identifying and nurturing individual talent." Four out of five respondents said empowering employees by delegating, broadening their opportunities and acting with fairness was a key leadership quality. CIOs also acknowledged IT as a tool that bridges cultural and communication gaps between employees in different parts of the region.
More than three-fourths of the respondents also said that their organizations were using IT to improve the business process. "Today, CIOs are expected not only to understand the business process but to standardize and simplify it," the survey said. Results for the Philippines did not vary much from the rest of the region, it added. — Paolo Luis G. Montecillo
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