The Built-in Challenges that Set IT Up for Failure

29.01.2010
Last month, I introduced the concept of the CIO paradox, a set of pernicious contradictions that permeate the core of your role. I also issued a challenge to make that paradox a thing of the past. To be sure, what I propose is a marathon, not a sprint. The paradox has been around since the dawn of IT. But by using professional associations, forums and events, you can put together a long-term plan of attack. If you do nothing, these contradictions will continue to undercut you and block your successor's path to the Future-State CIO.

The first step is taking the CIO paradox from an amorphous notion to a framework we can use to generate understanding. The common contradictions listed below were culled from my conversations with CIOs over the past 12 months. Grouped into four categories, they constitute a well-defined target at which you can take aim.

Your role

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* You were hired to be strategic, but you are forced to spend most of your time on operational issues.

* You are the steward of risk mitigation and cost containment, yet you are expected to innovate.