In today's tHAWT, we are going to talk about an article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). It struck me as particularly relevant given my recent comments about the importance of IT and the comments of Nicholas Carr. The article almost reads ironically as the authors bemoan the fact that IT seems to often to be treated as a utility rather than an integral part of the corporation. One thing that caught my eye was the list of corporations that have successfully turned IT into an edge, including Merrill Lynch, FedEx, and American Airlines. I think we could add any company that has a strong e-presence to that list, including Amazon, Dell, EBay, Google, and the list goes on.

The authors suggest the problem rests, at least in part, with the selection for leadership. CIOs, they note, are often drafted from the ranks of IT. As such they tend to be technically strong but lack the broader vision of strategy that typifies most CxO positions. Assessing the nature of the IT leadership within any organization is an important part of the sales cycle for anyone selling equipment or services into such an organization. We are used to saying that one needs to be prepared to talk strategically at the highest levels of the organization, and tactically to the front lines. However, if the WSJ article is correct, it suggests that there is a more complex dynamic at play in the IT organization, where the CIO may well be more tactical than strategic.

I would add to that observation that the simple formula reflected in the previous paragraph is perhaps a tad too simplistic. While it is true that the front lines tend to be tactical, and the upper echelons tend to be strategic, there can be (as the article suggests) a form of inversion. If the CIO can be overly tactical, then there may well be members of the lower echelons (management-wise) who are more strategically inclined. These gems should be found. If the rest of the leadership in the organization has any smarts whatsoever, these will be the rising stars. And if they aren't, these may be the people to open doors in new organizations when they inevitably move to greener pastures.