Interactive Gaming Chair

New role of CIO as IT Leader and the Power Game

The role of Chief of Information Officer has dramatically changed during the last years from a purely technical guy toward a strategic managerial role in the company. CIO is expected to create innovative solutions to increase the profit, to reduce the costs and to contribute in important managerial decisions. This is a position development for the role of CIO from an IT technical guy to a new role as IT leader. During this promotion there are some internal politics inside the companies that a CIO should conquer to achieve his right position. It needs different personal developments and skill developments including learning and applying power game techniques. We want to study the best practices in this area for this new leader.

Introduction:

The role of CIO has changed a lot during last decades [1]. We assume that this change will continue. An important part of this change is in leadership aspect. The fast-paced change in technology itself, has made it continuously true that for most of IT management teams, the next two years would differ sharply from the previous two[2], so the continuous correct planning is an important part of IT managers. Some important parts of this development decision making would not be limited to the IT department and would be an inter-department activity that affects the whole company. This is a good development for the CIOs; however, the time is a critical issue nowadays, because on the other hand, according to the Gartner's predict, by 2010, IT organizations in midsize and large companies will be 30 percent smaller than they were in 2005[3]. It means that the weak IT men are going to be driven out of this area and only the successful IT men such as CIO are going to be in a better situation than today. Again all colleagues might not like this promotion of this special job. So the CIOs should efficiently apply an effective internal politics as long as they need to improve their skills in many fields that directly or indirectly affect their job. One of these skills, as understood from the first necessity, is learning and applying the power game to handle this internal resistance.

CIO and the Power:

We review some of the important things that the IT leader should consider to succeed successively in climbing this long ladder of enhancement step by step.

We try to outline some of capabilities that a CIO can achieve and some of related improvements such a manager can cause in the company. There are some roles and responsibilities that might not be related to IT directly, but we are defining a new profile of a high management position, so some extra tasks might be assigned to this role. For example, several key roles in education and evaluation of human resources, because these tasks could be easily done in effective innovative methods using IT tools. The first thing that supports the definition of such a new profile with a higher position of CIO is that there is a hope and expectation that using creative IT techniques can reduce the costs and increase the ability of company in investment and innovation. Then thanks to capabilities of computers and networks there are lots of creatively created obligations that can be assigned to this new role to recover many of defects in the old management systems of the companies. Indeed, the potential of gorgeous IT tools to excite higher managerial level and attract their support for change, can give this chance to the CIOs to take the responsibility of many of these managerial tasks that indeed, have not been the CIO's responsibility, but they can be done very efficiently using IT tools. This gives an ultimate power to the CIO in the company.

People who are CIOs nowadays should understand the importance of themselves and how influential they are on the position of themselves as well as on the situation of the next generations of CIOs, because they live in a critical period of time in IT world. Thanks to lots of advertisements in the media during last few decades here is a big momentum to enhance the role of IT in the businesses and there is a chance to create a new profile for CIOs that people taking this responsibility could have a lot of power to improve the whole businesses performance. It is important to take this opportunity before losing it by passing long time without serious things. Nowadays, the mental atmosphere of working societies is ready to let this progressive situation of CIO role keep on moving. This is the chance and responsibility of current CIOs to be capable leaders to define this new profile according to its potentials and manage this new profile to cross the chasm despite potential resistances that are natural against any change in humans' societies. A part of this new profile could be seen in this expression that: "the newest challenge facing CIOs in higher education is to become technology advocates and CIO leaders, not leaders of technology mechanics" [4].

CIO can transfer an important part of the works to the computer world that has lots of preferences to the traditional systems. Computer based accounting, mail (email) and telephony (voice over IP) are the simplest examples that come to mind. Another simple facility that a CIO can manage for the company in this environment is creating a wiki system or preferably a professional and efficient interactive network in the virtual space that can be very incentive for all employees to participate and share their knowledge, experience, and information with the colleagues/company. This is really amazing that CIO can create fascinating virtual environments that people like to participate in it to enjoy while simultaneously they are doing what the management team wants.

Access to archive of internal chats/communications of employees is also a key of power for a player of the power game. CIO's department is the bottle neck of people's information in the company. Not only their use of Internet and email, but also their other communications usually pass under these systems. (Nowadays, the telephony system of companies move toward IT and VOIP systems, and even some of the most important internal and external meetings among high level managers especially in worldwide international companies happens in virtual meetings using high technology of video conferencing titled as electronic summits etc.)

Here another apparent key of power was appeared; CIO has access to all of the company secrets. Nowadays, archiving is managed electronically using Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems. This means that CIO is the chief of the system of saving and restoring of data in the company including but not limited to official letters. He is the person in charge for security issues of these systems consequently. It needn't more description how important his role is and how powerful such a person can be! However, it might be immoral and incorrect, but even the permission to use such information of employees is given to the employer by law in many countries and practically it's important not to violate the privacy law of the country the company is working in [5, 6, 7, 8]. Many people are not aware of these rules, so CIO can legally have access to lots of the private communication information of employees unless explicitly banned from it by the company's rules. However, he actually can have access to them yet and it seems that knowing this fact drives CEOs to assign their most reliable people to this position that means he is basically potential to progress because of this good level of trust. Or in some companies some new tasks regarding these abilities may be defined for CIO by higher managerial level again counting on him as the trusty man of the secrets of the employees including themselves too.

CIO can also manage evaluations and feedback systems within information systems and computer software tools much better than former tools CEO had and all of such capabilities gives him reasonable opportunities to be in direct contact with the highest level of managers of the company that consequently means he is himself a high level influential powerful leader of the company.

CIO's relationship with the higher managerial level and CEO:

The advantages of IT-based tools of management urge that CIO could be one of the closest managers to the CEO as the most powerful manager in the company officially. CIO has the tools that CEO needs. Nowadays; CEOs expects CIOs to create innovation in the company and inform them about lots of new ideas successfully implemented in other companies regarding related tasks in the company.

Close relationship with CEO gives an ultimate power to both CIO and CEO. While providing these services for CEO and other higher managers of the company, CIO is also learning about higher managers' roles and concerns. It makes him experienced and ready to accept higher positions in the company later. This is another key of power. It means that it is naturally expected to see a lot of higher managers in the next generation of first class managers that have formerly been CIO.

It is very important that CIOs have the tools that CEOs and other higher managers need. These tools make them rely on the CIO. These needs are not only for traditional needs, but also for the potential innovative power tools. Some social networks can be a long but related example. In some social networks such as Facebook people are giving those hidden information of themselves to the managers of the network that they themselves may not be aware of them. For instance, people invite their friends to take some likeness tests that compare the answers two parties give to special questions and give them a percentage saying how similar these two persons think alike. People are happy and amuse themselves, but the website is gathering some of very private information of theirs in different areas of their life and their belief. Also these systems can extract the strength of relationship of people in addition to their general network and they can do many things that the simple users are not aware of them. Such information can be studied later by experts of the related fields to be used for many different purposes individually or statistically. The importance of such information is a lot. It is exactly the power. The importance of such information for our example network, Facebook, was so that much that some months ago it was revealed by a security company that Facebook steals information from its users' computers, even after that they log out! [9] After this scandal, Facebook, did not promise to stop it! It had already provided some tricky sentences in its long terms and conditions that were already signed by users allowing it to such an abuse; however, most of users may not have been aware of it really. Later, in a few days it was revealed that Facebook even steal information of people who are not users of Facebook via some partner sites! [10] This is technology. It's strange that Facebook has more information about many people than their employers or families have!

There are some professional advantages in such systems that can be very interesting for the management team of a company and implementation of a customized version of such a system could only be in the territory of CIO. For instance, employees might simply play attractive games in special free times in companies like "fika" programs that are very common in Swedish companies, so such games could be designed very purposeful.

Possibility of unlimited cooperation in addition to daily tasks that are IT-based nowadays needs a continuous and close contact between the CIO and the higher managers that is a unique opportunity for him.

CIO and Leadership:

There are always difficulties and reluctance in a human society to create big movements. Here is that the concept of "leadership" comes to existence because of the difficulty of managing these difficulties and lots of skills that the "leader" needs to know and use to be successful. There is usually more than one pole of power in societies in all scales. If there is a positive manager in a system called Adam, there is at least an Eva that is inevitably there resisting in an opposite direction that cancels Adam's efforts. So the leadership skills of the each one of positive and negative sources of the power determine the final balance of the society. In more matured, complicated or populated societies there might be several different sources of power that try to control each other as rivals; this is the nature of power [11]. Correct power distribution and power structure plays a very important role in efficiency of management too. It is tried to be observed and balanced in modern systems. For example, in governmental and political systems by defining different independent structures of ministries, judiciary and parliamentary systems etc. or by observing a safe balanced competition among major popular parties and so forth. Therefore, these different owners of power are there more or less everywhere and control each other. There are similar rules governing over all managerial systems. In successful government of a developed company, this power distribution and power structure is important as well. Simultaneously, information systems and IT tools play an important role in classifying developed and well-managed companies, because IT offers many efficient advanced tools that enhance the former systems of management. Changing the systems to use these modern tools is a revolution in management and leading this revolution needs leadership skills. As another rule of this complicated game, great tasks also need great men. In fact, the goal of CIO leaders must be to take this mass of commoditized technology and apply it to today's problems in creative and fundamentally different ways [11]. Pahal and Lauderdale in their valuable article, Effective Leadership--An IT Perspective [12] conclude some of essential qualities needed by today's IT. Some of practices that CIO should consider are the following ones highlighted by the current literature:

• VISION--a knowledge of the future and how to get there [13]
• INTEGRITY--absolute dedication to doing what is right [14]
• TRUST--ability to nurture the "leader" in others [15]
• SELFLESSNESS--an idea that their existence is to serve their followers [16]
• COMMITMENT--passion as seen through caring, concern, and building perpetuation [17]
• CREATIVITY--seeing the world as a series of opportunities with fewer barriers than possibilities [18]
• OPEN-MINDEDNESS--always ready to try new ways of doing things [19]
• TOUGHNESS--knowing in their heart-of-hearts what is needed and demanding that it be done [20]
• ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE--keeping abreast of what's going on--connected [21]
• ABILITY TO LISTEN--knowing how to keep quiet yet informed [22]
• CALCULATED RISK-TAKING--open to possibilities, questioning assumptions and taking a stand [23]
• INQUISITIVENESS-constant questioning and probing for answers [24]
• INTUITION-possesses new insights and different perspectives [25]
• ACTION-ORIENTATION--willing to do something for the good of the organization [26]
• CANDIDNESS--ability to be forthright yet still have compassion and empathy [27]
• TENACIOUSNESS--inability to give up or let others do so [28]
• ABILITY TO NETWORK-a team builder [29]

As said in the above, beside all other difficulties and necessary practices to adapt with the new technology tools, change always faces reluctance and a part of leadership work is spent to bypass the humanitarian forces that resist against modern changes. The latter especially needs to know and apply power game tactics.

Power game:

The power game has roots in the fact that humans like power, but having power is both limited and relative, so they compete to have it more than others. In the real world; however, it is dangerous to seem too power-hungry, to be overt with your power moves. [11] It is a real competition in gaining power so as one appears to become successful, some others appear to compete or resist him. So there are some politics and policies to gain power calmly with the minimum conflict to enhance the position as fast and peaceful as possible. It is a real game that needs continuous cleverness and control to be successful neither rise objections against you nor give up your goals. In the power game, the clever guy should not do mistakes that stand against his movement as well as he should move constantly. He should act to absorb trust and support to apply his will. There are lots of great and small things to learn and practice. It is difficult to manage and this difficulty makes it a game when there are at least several good players that know each others' potential movements and try to win the game via power game tools.

CIO and power game:

As mentioned before, the role of CIO is developing fast. So he is gaining power and naturally there are some humans that stand against this development.

So the CIO must apply the power game laws to consummate the current valuable opportunities. That is important in continuing the current enhancement of the position in the managerial level of companies. In this article, we have chosen some of the best practices that CIO must learn to be able to manage this opportunity the best for his position. These laws are mainly based on practices recommended in [11]; however, there are some laws that we claim the CIO should do exactly in a different way than is recommended in that book and there are some other practices especially practical for CIO suggested by this paper.

In this part; we want to highlight those rules among the 48 laws of power that are related to the goals of CIO. This is a special domain and it has its specialized law proper to its structure. Some of the laws claimed in that book might not be true for this job as a CIO since the nature of power and power competition is different in a company and in the political system of a country. For instance, the Law 14 of "the 48 laws of power" recommends: "Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy". It might be true in a betraying environment such as some political competences that all parties are trying to catch some special seats of power for their own benefits, but it is absolutely wrong in a company that in our perspective, the CIO is not competing for the seat of CIO, but he is trying to do his best to answer the expectations of his potential for the strategic goals of the whole company. Here, CIO tries to have a closer relationship to the CEO to have more permission to apply IT tools and solutions. This might be valued in different ways by different managers of the company. In such a company that people are supposed to work together for many years peacefully, using such intrigues might be revealed soon or late and cause such serious problems that should be avoided seriously.

Also among the laws of "the 48 laws of power" there are some laws that are morally or generally true and every human being should observe them to have a successful life, but they are not special for CIO. Examples of these laws are: 2. "Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn how to use Enemies";16. "Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor";23. "Concentrate your forces";41. "Avoid Stepping into a Great Man's Shoes";47. "Do not go Past the Mark you Aimed for; In Victory, Learn when to Stop";13. "When asking for help, appeal to people's self-interest, never to their mercy or gratitude, formal incentive systems and especially";43 "Work on the hearts and minds of others". Such laws are important but very general and they are true for everybody in any situation. There are some rules that might not be possible. For instance; 31. "Control the options: get others to play with the cards you deal"; or 7. "Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit" don't seem to be practical in a company that people are supposed to work together for many years unless the abuser person is lucky to have very stupid colleagues. On the other hand, there are some rules that are very good for CIO to practice. We review and interpret them a little:

45. "Preach the Need for Change, but Never Reform too much at Once." This law is not a general law for everybody. This is a law for those leaders who want to change the system a lot. The preach step if done correctly, makes people ready for change and motivates some others to ask for the favorite change. Reform step usually should be done slowly. Fast reform is not reform anymore. Fast reform results in destructive revolutions and will be reacted badly soon.

1 and 4. "Never outshine the master" and "always say less than necessary". These rules are generally true that one should not outshine the master and say less than necessary. However, they are essential for the CIO, because he has lots of tools in his hand that everybody can see and realize their value. So it's clear to many colleagues that CIO might sometimes be the most important person in the company. This great position might be dangerous. CIO should be careful that except very great men, most of beings cannot see a person in a lower position has better than they. This weakness might cause enmity. The position and respect of the higher position among employees should be observed by CIO and he should never try to outshine more than they or highlight his power by expressing them to cause envy and enmity.

3 and 21. "Conceal your intention" and "seem dumber than your mark". As the two above rules were to prevent higher managers' envy and enmity, these two rules are very important to avoid colleagues' envy and enmity. As emphasized before, the fact that CIO is progressing fast would cause difficulties to him as soon as and as much as it's felt by others. This is the nature of power. So the CIO's attempt should be to avoid extra attention of others to his new profile and position. This is necessary for reaching to that position instead of being stopped by lots of preventing forces very soon.

9. "Win through your actions, never through argument." Tis rule needn't extra description and only follows and completes the former rules.

8, 11 and 27. "Make people come to you, use bait if necessary", "learn to keep people dependent on you" and "play on people's need to believe to create a cultlike following".

These great instructions come back to the unique abilities of CIO as the holder of modern IT tools. These rules are not usable for everybody, because it's difficult to create the sense of need in others, but CIO is in a position that people really need him a lot in their daily needs such as their communications, using their printers and computers in many organizations, etc.

So a power game player can choose these opportunities to make people come to him and rely on him and create a big group of supporters for him during a period of time by leadership and this is what CIO need against those clever colleagues who compete him in this power game.

35. "Master the Art of Timing". This is the main key among all keys for managers and the greater is the manager, more important is this rule. This rule is very important for CIOs, because they have lots of things to offer and a part of this rule is the guarantee for keeping slow changes and reform. Correct application of this rule could result in creating a successful atmosphere to make people come to the CIO and be dependent on him to create a favorite following. For a comprehensive review on this important law studying [30] is recommended.

In addition to these laws, there are some especial practices that CIO needs to consider to be successful. To be aware of the latest news is one of them. IT world changes and develops fast. Innovation is not necessarily created by this CIO. He may follow the news carefully and catch those successful ideas that are likely to be successful in his company too. On the other hand it's not good for a CIO to be informed about such progresses in IT world by other colleagues in the company. He also needn't create all systems and might make wise decisions to use currently valid systems such as many free available sources on the web. For example, he might decide to create a community for the employees of the company on a social network instead of creating an internal social network. There are lots of practices in different areas that CIO should learn for his new profile. Learning whatsoever he should learn on time is also important not to lose his credit and respect. He should manage to learn in advance to be ready when necessary. CIOs should learn the best how to talk, how to communicate, how to negotiate, how to solve critical problems, how to create efficient networks etc. They also should educate themselves to have a good overview on many modules of the company from supply to marketing, from graphical design tools to the facts behind successful advertisements. Indeed, a CIO nowadays should have an in-depth knowledge of many things that a CEO formerly needed have a superficial knowledge about them. These things might not be classified as the power game, but they are necessary to the goals of that game that is success! Indeed, nowadays all of these modules are interconnected in a complicated way.

Future works:

We should classify this new role of IT leader in different classes for some main businesses, because the role of CIO in a company is dependent on the penetration of IT in that business. In an IT business such as a software company, the CIO is naturally the CTO of the company and has already had an important role or in a company that applying IT technologies forms the whole business of the company, so it's much easier for the CIO to develop his position rather than in a company that it has not so much to do with IT. This possibility also might differ from country to country based on the common culture, IT infrastructure and penetration, etc. Lessons from pioneer countries or companies could affect the roadmap and plans of CIOs in other countries/companies etc.

Conclusion:

In this paper, the new role of CIOs from a leadership perspective and its prerequisites were reviewed in different aspects from practices to relationships. Specially, some famous rules of power game were studied and highlighted and some new power game rules were suggested specialized for this special job as chief of information officer. The new role of CIO as an IT leader needs a lot of knowledge and learning and learning and applying power game is one of the most important ones to be able to develop an existent position as a technical person to a new profile as a top manager.

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