The elevation of information technology has influenced remarkable change amongst the leadership of our IT industry. A job once considered to be very dry, the new faces of the industry are influential and innovative leaders, such as the likes of Sheryl Sandberg, Tim Cook, and Satya Nadella.
The change is not only happening to the faces of the industry alone but includes the rise of IT leaders shaping business strategy. From a position that was first categorised as a utility, the role of the IT leader has expanded to be that of a trusted advisor and business partner, one that plays an integral role in the guiding of strategy evolution.
Unlike many industries, the insight that IT specialists can provide is in real-time, being able to discover information at a more rapid pace or having the tech-based foresight to improve products or services and predict trends.
A key driver of such innovation and real-time insight is the access to tech while on the go, redefining barriers of time and place. Tablets, mobiles and laptops have increased mobility and allowed access to information regardless of physical location which has had a direct positive correlation with innovation.
See this visual of what is influencing the transformation within the IT industry, and its leadership from our partners at Microsoft.
The success of any organisation is dependent upon communication and closer collaboration, not only cross-departmentally but goes to include vertical leadership. As displayed in the infographic, only one-third of CIOs have effective relationships with inter-house departments such as HR, Sales, and Marketing.
This is a critical problem, as a significant proportion of communication between existing and potential customers and employees occurs on a tech-based platform such as social media or the intranet.
The place of information technology within businesses should not be underestimated. Any successful and well-recognised business needs to be supported by an IT platform and process. Without real-time insight, innovation, interdepartmental collaboration and major internal transformations will fail to take place.
Contact us today to find out how Leap can assist in creating change within your business and support innovative business models.