Overcoming CIO irrelevance

Being the leader of the IT organization has never been easy, whether one’s title is director of information services or chief information officer (CIO). Some senior managers have come to question the relevancy of the CIO position itself, especially given the explosion of other “chiefs” during the past decade. IT leaders have always (and rightfully) fought for greater participation at the decision-making table to better position IT as a critical support function that requires aligning digital infrastructure to the overall requirements of city or county’s operations. Tech leaders continue to promote their position and responsibilities as being more of a strategic forethought—not a careless afterthought.

Today, we have some new entrants with IT-related leadership functions (if not titles), like chief digital officer, chief data officer, chief innovation officer, chief security information officer and chief technology officer. In some jurisdictions these positions report to the CIO; in some jurisdictions the reporting relationship is different, thus creating unintended consequences such as marginalizing the historic—if not heroic—role of the CIO.

Many CIOs have lamented that their position carries less weight these days as information technology is so dispersed and available through numerous ways, and with vendors whose offerings can be supported directly to a given department or agency, thus bypassing the CIO. This practice can also lead to unintended consequences such as system incompatibility, cybersecurity vulnerability or lack of sustainability. This is often referred to as “shadow IT,” which contains many shades of grey. Shadow IT intentionally or unintentionally attempts and often succeeds in bypassing normal IT policies and practices.

In 2018 and repeated in 2023, the National Association of State CIOs (NASCO) asked its members to rank order the qualities of what they believe are the most important for new CIOs. Perhaps not surprisingly, “technologist” ranked number nine in both surveys. Perhaps not surprisingly, soft skills or professional skills dominated the top eight qualities. For the past five years, state CIOs have consistently self-described themselves as a strategist, a communicator and a relationship manager. This survey should prove helpful to city and county CIOs and those aspiring to become a CIO in navigating their careers, especially when it comes to skill development. It has never been clearer—relationship-building and understanding the business needs of government is what hiring managers are looking for.

How can IT leaders—indeed, any IT professional—develop the necessary non-technical skills that top management is looking for? It begins with certification and staying abreast of the fast-changing tech, and management impacting local government technology service delivery.

The Public Technology Institute (PTI) has for the past 15 years promoted the local government CIO as a professional, not unlike a CPA or certified business manager. In 2009 PTI developed a national Certified Government Chief Information Officer program (CGCIO) with Rutgers University’s Center for Government Services. Today, we find numerous local governments stating “CGCIO preferred” in their position announcements.

Much is expected from today’s city and county IT leader, and now that artificial intelligence (AI) leaped onto the scene in early 2023, the need to stay informed about technology tools and practices has never been greater. Some IT leaders have moved through the ranks and worked their way up while others have entered with college degrees in computer science or business management. The problem with most degree programs is that much of the curriculum is focused on technology and little, if any, on developing leadership or professional (soft) skills. Second, a degree program, like a certificate program, is a one-time deal. There is no requirement for any continuous learning.

By comparison, a certification program, like PTI’s CGCIO program, usually requires recertification (often every three years) to demonstrate that one is keeping up with field. Professions such as airline pilots, certified accountants, health professionals, all require both certification and periodic recertification.

PTI’s current CGCIO curriculum focuses on the most pressing issues a local government CIO faces. Here are some of the major areas of focus, each with a leadership component:
• Emotional intelligence
• Change management
• Organizational assessment
• Leadership, managership and followership
• Time management
• Applied artificial intelligence and governance
• Communications (written and oral)
• Cybersecurity
• Digital ethics
• Citizen engagement and experience
• The human side of tech
• Budget & finance, and strategic planning

PTI’s certification programs have grown over the years, both in content and the growing number of students. More than 78 percent of students who enroll each year comes directly from referrals, which is a strong indicator of both satisfaction and relevance.

The CIO position is at a critical juncture, with all the “new chiefs” entering the fore. Like a symphony maestro, this is the time to seize the moment, step up to the podium and lead the symphony, with each orchestra member playing a different role and each with their own special expertise. The CIO (maestro) can make sure everyone is playing to the composition and in harmony. This cannot be accomplished without the sharpening and building of greater self-awareness and confidence through professional skills. It is all about leadership. There are simply too many silos of excellence that require more leadership and coordination.

As mentioned earlier, given the growth and popularity of AI and the rapid changes in the entire technology ecosphere, mastering professional skills has never been more important. We now need to better relate to both machines as well as people—and more often people who may not be experts in technology. There are too many “chiefs” all working towards different goals and often uncoordinated with the big picture. Tech leadership in general and CIO relevance in particular are now up for grabs.

Dr. Alan R. Shark is the executive director for the Public Technology Institute (PTI), a division of the nonprofit Fusion Learning Partners; and associate professor for the Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University where he is also an affiliate faculty member at the Center for Advancing Human-Machine Partnership (CAHMP). Shark is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and co-chair of the Standing Panel on Technology Leadership. Shark also hosts the bi-monthly podcast Sharkbytes.net. Dr. Shark acknowledges collaboration with generative AI in developing certain materials.