Power of diversity

The skills that information technology executives (CIOs) seek for senior executives in their departments will reflect the changing role of information technology (IT) in businesses.

Looking at Regions Financial Corp.'s IT leadership team, a $ 84.6 billion financial group and based in Birmingham, Alabama (USA), you'll see a collection of individuals very different. The Vice President in charge of application delivery and the CIO are people who advance in the direction of corporate governance, while the other five members all have a solid career in IT. The Vice President in charge of technology risk management is famous for his extensive technical knowledge and strategic vision, while the vice president of telecommunications has a more direct and specific approach. The Vice President of Production Services is the person who is able to communicate and be friendly with everyone in the organization. The director of enterprise information and architecture management has impressive achievements in data management and is well known outside the banking industry. And the vice president of project management has worked over 25 years at Regions and is experienced in many different technical areas.

Oil is so different, but members of this group also have very similar similarities. Most of them excel in the analysis of analytical thinking, and are all willing to solve the problems. They consider IT as a business unit and supporting the bank's strategy is the common work of everyone.

The power of a diverse group

If combining all these similarities and contrasts in a collective, then the collective will have a far greater strength than the total power of its members. That's the comment of John Dick, CIO of Regions. When an incident occurs, the collective is an invaluable asset. For example, Dick's team used various members' solutions and skills to solve problems when the operation of the bank's online trading system was stagnant, instead of leaving the group Coordinate application resolution.

He commented that many leaders are still not aware of the power of a diverse group. ' You always see people choosing the same executives as me, who are either very creative or have good analytical ability ,' Dick said. ' While homogeneous teams can accomplish many things in a short period of time, it is necessary to have a diverse team with experience and achievements .

Dick's collective does not always work at such a high level. He said five years ago when newly formed, members focused more on individual functions. That means he takes more time to coordinate resources appropriately when problems arise. But now, when his IT team has taken on projects with greater impact, through many areas of banking functions, 'there has been a shift'. ' Now everyone knows each other's strengths and abilities, everyone is involved in solving problems, making decisions and collecting data on a variety of topics ,' Dick said.

Unification

Dick and other CIOs all acknowledge that technology expertise is still an important factor, but business acumen and leadership skills are becoming more and more influential in recruitment. Many IT leaders are still advancing through technology but now the door is only open to those who can effectively lead others and those who care first about business.

The skills, contexts and capabilities needed by an IT leadership group are so diverse that IT leaders realize that they cannot meet those requirements with just one person or one person. . When Gary Greenwald, chief technology officer of New York investment broker TD Ameritrade, founded a five-member leadership group, he was very worried about harmonizing the characteristics and power of five people. this different. ' We work a lot to understand the mix of individuals into the collective. If someone is strong in two, three or four areas, we want to make up for skilled individuals in three or four other areas - that's when we put people together to create a hero. strong , 'he said.

That's why CIOs not only look for talents but also hunt for those who are able to integrate their talents, strengths and personality into a collective so that it works smoothly. For example, collective activity in Regions is so important that some people with good business and technological competence have to leave because ' they are against a collective work environment '.

The quality of the leader

But for many CIOs, there are certain capabilities that every top member of the IT team should have. Last year, when Jody Davids, CIO of Cardinal Health Group in Dublin, Ohio, established an IT group of 12 people, her number one goal was to find people with good leadership ability to work in a company. The company is undergoing a rapid growth period due to many mergers.

Two years ago, Cardinal Health underwent a radical shift towards a service sharing strategy, focusing first on IT departments scattered throughout the world. ' They need to be exposed to frequent changes in an orderly manner ,' Davids said.

Although these 12 members operate in different areas, the most important thing that each member contributes to the overall picture is what Davids calls a 'skill pack' in the areas of communication and strategic thinking. strategies, support, influence, ability to maintain collective support and conditions to overcome complex situations. They also need to be lovely, knowledgeable and trustworthy people. These leadership qualities are even more important than the previous experience of individuals, Davids said.

A typical example is Pegge LaValle, a woman whom Davids chooses to lead a professional center for business management. LaValle used to run the customer service department at Cardinal Health. ' I asked LaValle to run the field of business administration, but she thought that she had never experienced it ,' Davids said. ' However, when I think about what is needed to succeed in that role, it is not financial. I need a master diplomat, an ingenious person in building relationships and a person who is able to negotiate with customer groups in tough budget-related situations - and she is who appeared right in my mind . '

Davids persuaded LaValle to undertake this task. She said she could recruit people with financial and budget experience to help her. ' LaValle never imagined I would do a job like this, but for my part I soon found myself right. She became extremely effective , 'said Davids.

' Everyone in the IT industry understands that, if we are not ready for change, we will not have a job. The ability to lead others through change is what makes the difference , 'said Davids.

Mary Brandel
( Thai Binh translation)

Mary Brandel is a collaborator of Computerworld in Newton, Massachusetts .

New leadership skills

The characteristics, skills, and capabilities that companies require in IT leaders have undergone many changes in the last few years. Some of the most valuable properties are so new, too unusual or uncertain, that they cannot be included in job descriptions or work schedules. Gary Greenwald, chief technology officer of TD Ameritrade Group, talked about some of the previously unrecognized qualities but is proving increasingly valuable in IT leaders.

* Connection

For years, technologists have been urged to improve their communication skills. But communicating with others is one thing; connecting with them is a completely different story. ' Communication is communication and giving information, and connectivity is the ability to receive information and communicate to others ,' Greenwald explained. He said his company seeks people who can absorb what they hear and communicate back to their colleagues or customers correctly, avoiding 'tragedy'.

* Courage

IT leaders seek people who are brave enough to share their vision, even if that vision can threaten to upset the status quo. For example, stopping the project halfway because you find that it is no longer necessary for the business, or the change of technology can make the work happen in a different direction. ' As humans, we tend to avoid conflict, but if we are really attached to the business, then we will participate in those thorny dialogues, no matter how difficult they are ,' Greenwald said. .

* Creativity

When businesses aspire to innovate products, services and processes, IT can play an important role both in supporting creative processes and in proposing improvements. ' IT needs to join as soon as the business starts to consider new prospects and trends. We need to come up with our own ideas to make those visions possible through the use of technology , 'Greenwald said.

The role of technology leader is to cultivate innovation in his employees. ' We need to encourage and reward those with creative ideas ,' he said.