writing on the wall, The

Information Management Journal, Mar/Apr 2002 by Launchbaugh, Cynthia

Have you ever wished you could see into the future? Could know what was going to happen tomorrow so that you knew the decisions to make today?

Actually, you can. The trick is to look at what futurists call the "visible" future. It is the writing on the wall that is there for anyone to see - if they take the time to look.

At the Core

This article examines:

* The changing role of the CIO

* The opportunities associated with the integration of RIM and IS

To get a clearer glimpse of the future for records and information management, for example, take a look at the changing expectations for the chief information officer (CIO) and

information technology (IT) in both public and private sectors. They are excellent indicators of what is increasingly being expected of others involved in managing records and information.

"By 2003, intellectual capital - delivered through the leverage of knowledge management and information management - will be the primary way in which businesses measure their value." So predicted Gartner in its 2000 report "IT Management Scenario: Navigating Uncertainty." This prediction portends a major shift in the role of IT and the CIO - a shift that has taken more than 50 years to occur.

Years ago, when the potential of the then-emerging computer was being discussed, there were those few - Peter Drucker among them - who contended that its reach would go far beyond the military and science and into business, where it would revolutionize the work of top management, with its greatest impact on business policy, business strategy, and business decisions.

States Drucker in his book Management Challenges for the 21st Century. "The revolutionary impacts so far have been where none of us then anticipated them: on OPERATIONS.... Top executives have not used the new technology because it has not provided the information they need for their own tasks."

Information technology has centered on collecting, storing, transmitting, and presenting data - or on the "T" in IT. That focus is shifting, however, to the "I" or the meaning of information and its purpose. It should come as no surprise then that CEOs are looking for new skills and perspectives from their CIOs.

"Three or five years ago, most IT organizations and CIOs were expected to deliver the technology that enabled the business to perform the basics of business functions," stated then-CIO Keith Holcomb in a roundtable discussion facilitated by CIO Magazine at Giga Information Group's IT Forum 2001. "The technology has evolved to the point now where most of those basic systems touch everything that we do, and where the technology is now taking us is at the business level."

Changing Priorities

Relationship management, business partnerships, sourcing strategies, and visionary leadership have quickly become CIOs' highest priorities. "IT knowledge is almost a liability," says Gartner research director Michael Gerrard in the CIO article "Free to Lead." "What's more important now is an ability for CIOs to develop a sense of strategy and to implement sourcing solutions."

E-business has been the primary catalyst for much of this shift. Following a survey of 1,400 CIOs, Gartner concluded that "the emerging need for e-business is changing the way in which executive managers perceive CIOs and the CIO's place in the executive boardroom."

The Gartner survey revealed that in midsize and large enterprises a new executive was appearing, one with responsibilities that combine business and technology. This new CIO's role is strategic, "focused on shaping top-level business needs and expectations across the enterprise" instead of technology implementation.

As this new CIO role takes shape, new opportunities emerge for others within the information management and systems organization. The actual management of information technology in many enterprises is falling to an IT deputy, often called a chief technology officer. With this position providing ample support at the technology level, CIOs are free to focus on the enterprise perspective and provide the type of strategic guidance needed and expected by visionary CEOs.

Underlying this significant shift is an increasing realization and understanding at the executive level of the true power of information. It's not just about data, it's about knowledge and wisdom. How well an enterprise manages and leverages the information it has within its people and its records can have a direct impact on how competitive it is in a continually changing and intensely competitive marketplace.

It's All About Information

As organizations look at managing information to gain a strategic advantage within their industries, the pressure is on at all levels of the organization to make information management a business imperative. This focus on managing information is prompting another emerging trend, one that unites everything having to do with the management of information. In these cases, the CEOs are looking to their CIOs to manage the technology as well as the information.