Question

1. What does this tip from Fast Company mean: “The job of the CIO is to provide organizational and strategic flexibility”?

2. Think about your place of employment or other familiar organization. Identify the industry or primary business focus for a frame of context for other students. What is the organization's business strategy? What is its organizational strategy? What is its IS strategy? If you do not know these strategies for certain, then discuss what they appear to be based on your experience. Are they aligned? What do you see as a result of either alignment or misalignment?

Answer 1

The work of the CIO is not exclusively focused on data systems (IS) or exclusively on the development of IS strategies. The CIO must instead work with top managers and functional managers in order to ensure that the IS approach is consistent with a company and organizational approach. A specific CIO task is to ensure that IS architecture and facilities support the company and organizational strategy. With a scalable architecture that meets present and future organizational demands in making long-term IS architectural decisions, the CIO must try to stimulate future flexibility.