Slashdot Mirror
9 Reasons Why Developers Think the CIO Is Clueless
Esther Schindler writes "Finally, a Forrester analyst who understands the attitudes of software developers. Mike Gualtieri identifies nine behaviors managers need to steer clear of or risk being labeled 'clueless' — from control freak tendencies to being a vendor puppet. My favorite, however, is point #8: 'the CIO collaborates to death,' in which Gualtieri opines, 'And, if you never watched Star Trek then you shouldn't even be a CIO.'"
Chief Information Officer
CEO: Chief Executive Officer
CFO: Chief Financial Officer
CxO terms are pretty common for the top level in larger corporations.
If I have nothing to hide, don't search me
Chief Information Officer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_information_officer
<Complete your profile by adding a signature!>
In all seriousness, the proper role of a CIO is to ensure that the proper information (the "I") is delivered to the people who need it in the least expensive and fastest manner possible.
Period.
It doesn't matter if that info comes in via computer, iPhone, or carrier pigeon. Just that the people have what they need when they need it, at the lowest possible cost.
A CTO has the task of picking the technology that makes that possible.
A CFO has to look at the real numbers and move them from column "A" to column "B" such that profit is maximized and cost is minimized. Without committing a felony in the process.
The CEO has to figure out WTF all the other CxOs are doing, try to watch the outside world, and figure out a plan that maximizes his paycheck without pissing off shareholders, getting sued into oblivion, prosecuted (see CFO), or committing a felony that he can't pawn off to the CFO. All while being liable for both mistakes and lies of the other CxO's under him.
The CIO is just where the tech buck stops in some companies. Positions like CFO and CEO are older, but CIO and CTO were created to have someone at the officer level (legally) that can act as a representative of the company in such matters as pertain to technology and synergisms, at least going forward (OK that last part was a bit much). It's someone who can stand in front of the CEO and explain why the data center was overrun by a squad of ninjas (OK I'll stop now).
It's really not much different than "VP of Technology" and titles like that.
And I know a few good ones, so no, I don't think they're all emotionally challenged, at least not in relation to other people at officer-level positions I tend to meet.
Web2.0: I love when people Flickr my cuil and digg my boingboing until my google is reddit and I start to yahoo
8. The CIO collaborates to death. Whether it is the character flaw of being indecisive or some middle-school notion of democracy, you are in charge. Collaboration is critical, but you also need to make the right decision at the right time. Collaborate like Captain Kirk. "Spock?" "Bones?" He gets opinions from his experts but there is never any question about who will make the final decision. And, if you never watched Star Trek then you shouldn't even be a CIO.
As I recall, "CIO" was popularized by the dot-com companies, and immediately thereafter, since they needed as many C**s on staff as possible to get their VC funding, decided that a CTO was needed too, even though their business was selling pimento loaves on the e-web.
Sort of. Traditionally IT reported into the CFO.
However once the internet came about, there were all sorts of applications needed that weren't related to finance/accounting. So most major businesses (not just the dotcoms) created a CIO position at that point.
Business. Numbers. Money. People. Computer World.
Actually, I was reading an article on Yahoo! today and I could swear they referred to someone as the Chief Innovation Officer. However, in my experience, it's always been:
CEO: Chief Executive Officer
CFO: Chief Financial Officer
CTO: Chief Technology Officer
CIO: Chief Information Officer
COO: Chief Operations Officer
It was a joke, but he was talking about FORD.
...the future crusty old bastards are already drinking the Kool-Aid.
EVERY one of these damn reasons applies to my CIO. And I am my own one-man company!
8 of 13 people found this answer helpful. Did you?
Work in IT in investment banking writing Java code. I'm 26 years old and I earn $120k + bonus now...
I have no mod points, but that is one of the most insightful (you hear that mods, INSIGHTFUL) comments I've seen on slashdot. It applies to an awful lot of human interactions.
CxO terms are pretty common for the top level in larger corporations.
This is often referred to as "C level", as in, "For this project to succeed, we need buy-in at C level."