IT roles evolved from computers geek to become a key partner in enterprise success. These roles have evolved to include; decision support, intercompany relationships, research and development, marketing, manufacturing, logistics, forecasting, and external relationships with customers, vendors, and other enterprises. This involvement in almost every facet of organization makes the IT roles differ from other business function.

I will structure my IT organization in Federal or Hybrid form, because this form is combines the pros of both centralized and decentralized forms, and eliminates the weakness of the both forms. This form will deliver the strategic alignment for the organization, keeps a close interaction between IT and the business, and it keep the control needed for each plants. My second choice will be the decentralized form, because it gives each plant its own independency to form and work depend on its environment. On the other hand, this kind of organization, creates huge redundancies, and it creates a local loyalties.      

Strategic Alignment describes an environment in which the business strategy and infrastructure of an organization are aligned with Information Technology strategy and infrastructure. Why it is important? Because this alignment creates a better understanding between the two parties. This understanding includes; what each party need from the other, create an integration between business functions and IT functions, this alignment will lead to give organization a real chance to achieve the competitive advantage in the business environment, and this alignment will improve communication channels between both parties.

The skills needed by IT professionals are categorized into; technical, interpersonal, and administrative and conceptual skills. In the manager level, IT professional needs to have skills that are more technical rather than any other skills, because, in these levels his job is mainly responsible for performing tasks. However, as he moves up in the organization ranks, he needs more interpersonal skills rather than technical skills, because in these levels becomes more representative for the function being managed. In the next level, a person needs administrative and conceptual skills, because in this level he becomes a partner with other executives to obtain the organization objectives.    

The keys to recruiting and retaining IT talent in today’s market are; the traditional methods such as newspaper and magazine classified ads, word of mouth, internal listings jobs, and executive search firms. With the appearance of the Internet a new method is emerge, where the web become a very growing source of recruiting IT talent.   

Governance is the term used to describe the selection and use of organizational processes to make decisions about how to obtain and deploy IT resources and competencies. It is important because it has related to decisions making, how to make these decisions for the organization, and achieving strategic alignment between IT and business which is the main goal for any organization to guarantee success in its environment. Governance alternatives can be categorized into three categories; governance based on organization structure that is, Organizational reporting relationships and responsibilities, and organization structure driven, examples of this kind are; steering Committees, CIO-CEO, and liaison. The second one is governance based on processes, that is, based on formal business and IT procedures, examples for this kind are; budget, career cross-over, partnership. The third one is governance based on human relationships such as; shared risk, partnership, competitive.

Communication is central lifeline of any organization that seeks for competitive advantage. It helps to achieve the alignment between business and IT because it makes both side understand each other, share experiences, prospective, and expectations. To improve communication between the business and IT, there are some elements that make communication more effective such as; communications must be simple to make sure both side understand each other. Use words that both side can understand, use a various kinds of communications, important information must be delivered by using repletion, and leaders must be an example to make sure that other side follow his lead.   

Measuring IT is very important to the business to make sure that IT organization is being run effectively and efficiently, also to identify opportunities for improving the effectiveness and efficiency. By accomplishing these measures, enterprise will reduce the waste in time and money. Other reason for measuring IT is to know how much IT aligns with business. In addition, know whether IT achieves company goals. Business managers and IT managers are the responsible for these kinds of measuring.

Chief Information Officer (CIO) position arose at the beginning of the 1980s, even if it has different title in other environments such as; Vice President of Information system or director of IT, but the roles and responsibilities of CIO are the same and everywhere. Because CIO position was the evolution of prior titles, such as DP manager, VP of Information Systems, or Director of Information System, it makes sense that management is considers a major aspect of a CIO’s job. The roles of CIO had change over time, as a respond to the change in the Information Technology’s architecture. These roles influences and associated with three forces; executive attitudes, application portfolio, and dominant suppliers. These forces are not affecting in one-way, and the influence of CIO on these forces determines the effectiveness of the CIO.

CIO roles had evolved through time, since Synott’s Defines CIO at 1985, he predicted that the roles of CIO will created by business and the CIO will: Manage information resources as vital corporate asset, Bring systems into competitive marketplace, Manage and coordinate increasingly decentralized information resources, Manage end-user computing so that it serves corporation's needs, and Be a catalyst for corporate change.

During the evolution of technology, CIO roles and responsibilities also evolved to become as organizational designer. In addition, CIO become a strategic partner in business environment. Also because of the increased complexity of software and hardware CIO become a technology architect. Also as result of the alignment of IT with business, so CIO affects decision-making in the enterprise. The increase of CIO roles expanded to outside the organization to cover customers and vendors.

This huge expansion of CIO roles made it necessary that the Director has a number of skills. CIO must have skills in leadership, expertise in aligning and leveraging technology for the sake of the enterprise, CIO must have enough background in business, he must have relationship skills, management skills, communication skills. There are some skills may less important, but CIO needs possess these skills. A skill such as; selling vision, knowledge of specific industry, global experience, and ability to hire, develop, and retain high quality IT professionals.

As discussed before one of the most skills that CIO must possess is leadership, in fact this skill may the main reason for the success of failure of CIO. Leadership cannot be delegated, but business and technical knowledge can be obtained through experience. Therefore, CIO must be a leader rather than a manager.

The relationships between CIO and other executives including CEO must exist. This relationship is very important, and must shape as a two-way relationship not only whether formal or informal relationship. The successful of this relationship will reflect the success of IT in several areas. Executives especially CEO must believe in IT and trade IT as partner of the enterprise success and accept CIO into the executive team.

For CIO to achieve effectiveness he or she must have some attributes that guarantee the achievement of this goal. These attributes include; delegation of operational tasks that is, CIO must give his staff a lower level of management. CIO must reduce the requesting approval for expenditures from other executives. Reading situations and cultivating relationships are important for an effective CIO. CIO must create relationships with business peers to deliver the IT values. CIO must be aware of using technical language with other executives, and he must act as a communicator, leader, educator and relationship builder between IT and business. CIO must be honest in his work to build trust with his subordinates or with other in the business environment or with other executive.

In conclude, CIO roles are change all the time because of the evolution of business and technology. However, CIO must have different kinds of skills not only technical skills but also business skills, and other skills that lead him to achieve the primary goal of IT, which as the truly alignment between IT and business. Most of all CIO must have the characteristic of a leader rather than a manager.

The Strategic Alignment Maturity model is a comprehensive vehicle for organization to evaluate business-IT alignment in terms of where they are and what they can do to improve alignment. It is important because it assess how IT is in harmony with the business, and how the business should, or could be in harmony with IT. Alignment maturity evolves into a relationship where the function of IT and other business functions adapt their strategies together. The model involves the following five levels of strategic alignment maturity:

1. Initial/Ad Hoc Process

2. Committed Process

3. Established Focused Process

4. Improved/Managed Process

5. Optimized Process

Each of the five levels of alignment maturity focuses set of six IT-business alignment criteria. These six criteria are:

1. Communications Maturity

2. Competency/Value Measurement Maturity

3. Governance Maturity

4. Partnership Maturity

5. Scope & Architecture Maturity

6. Skills Maturity

Adopting new technology is a very important aspect for business environment. Business adopts emerging technology for one goal, to save money. Therefore, it is vital subject for CIO to achieve a true and successful alignment with business that he can manage emerging technologies.  

Managing emerging technologies is one of the CIO responsibilities. This process can achieve by using the following suggestions:

• CIO must focus on selling a business solution to a problem or opportunity, not selling technology. For example if the emerging technology related to accelerate the shipment delivery of the enterprise, CIO must explain how this new technology will approach this goal, not explain the technical idea of this technology.  
• Identify value to organization. For example, business adopt new technology for the sake of saving money, therefore, CIO must describe how much this new technology will save money for the enterprise.
• Compare the new technology to the existing technology. For example, if the enterprise planning to replace its Client-Server platform with Cloud Computing, CIO must prepare a research that provides the cost for both technologies shows that by adopting Cloud Computing the enterprise will save money.
• Consider a range of alternatives to be evaluated. CIO must be familiar with the emerging technologies, so he can provide his enterprise with alternatives options. This will give the enterprise the opportunity to choose the best choice.
• Create champions through the organization to support IT prospective in implementing new technology. This will improve the chances for success and/or acceptance of failures. An example of this aspect is in Oprah Winfrey talk show, what if Oprah talked about a book that she red and she recommended this book. The sales of this book will hit the roof. That is a champion that IT needs.
• Manage expectations, create clear milestones so that bailing out is possible. The risks in adopting new technology is usually high, so it is wise to know what is the good time retreat, this will accomplish by knowing the enterprise objectives in advance.
• Start small to diminish risk, and then increase your credibility over the life of the initiative. For example if your enterprise implementing a new system, it is better to test this system performance by implementing it in one or more department to see if it gain acceptance between your employers, and if it achieve what it build for.
• Get benefit from other similar business models in other industries to see how technology is changing their industry. As an example for this case the ATM machines, how others banks adopt this technology by knowing how much this technology important for them to satisfies their customers.
• Be sure you and the senior executive understand the iterative/evolutionary nature of new technologies especially if you at bleeding edge. This will help you to reduce risks and choose wisely.
• Under promise, but not so much that you avoid attention. Avoid repeating the marketing hype, but embrace the possibility that some of the hype is possible, especially if a technology has not yet been proven.
• If things go ugly, you have to be honest and then contribute in solving the problem. Keep in mind that you have to learn from your failures rather than bury them.

Managing emerging technology is not an easy job, it needs a talent and a visionary person, it needs many skills that give you an ability to do the job. These skills include; honesty, patient person, a good communicator to simplify the new technology concept and how much this technology will benefit the enterprise. These skills will help in selling new technology to senior executives.                 

We live in a rapidly changing world, change keeps speed up, before we can use or adjust some change, a new one has come up. This change reshapes people to try to keep up with it, no matter how much this change becomes hard and exhausting, successful people try to join its trend. Managing change is a critical skill that IT executive must possess, because implementing new technology always involves change. This skill needs some techniques that IT managers can use to successfully manage change. One of the most common techniques is Change Curve.

The change curve is a behavioral model of group and individual reactions to the process of change. The change curve can also track commitment to change. It was designed by Kübler-Ross, in 1975. Kübler-Ross used it to explain the reaction of individuals to major losses, such as bereavement, although it seems to have been adapted as a way to explain, even to manage, changes in organizations. It helps in recognizing that people are at different points on the change curve at different times, and it helps in minimizing the time of reduced productivity.

Managing change is very important for different reasons; the first reason is that human nature resist change, on the other hand, the phenomenon of change is necessary to survive not only in business environment, but also in our life, imagine life without change. In business environment, change will affect peoples’ productivity, therefore it is a vital issue to manage change otherwise business will collapse. Managing change is important because wherever IT exist in business environment, Change is inevitably incident.

The change curve designed to contain seven steps; confusion or denial this action is like “maybe if I don't think about it - it will go away”, this step represent the stage where employees try to reject the new technology. The second step is the anger/blame, this action like "I never thought it would work like this!", this step represent the complaining behavior, employees may try to put obstacles on adopting new technology, and express their displeasure either through subtle negative reactions, or through more open and direct challenges.. The third step is bargaining, this action like "Before I really go along with this, can you make this additional change for me, since I am changing for you", this step represent the negotiation behavior to despairly avoid change. The fourth step is depression this action like beginning feels like nothing really worked, and “I cann’t do it”, this represent bottom line of the curve, IT must act quickly and efficiently. The fifth step is testing, action like “I think I will like it”, this step represents the first acceptance of the new technology among the enterprise, but not a full satisfaction. The sixth step is acceptance, this action like "I can't believe we ever did this function any other way!", this step represent the acceptance of the new technology among the enterprise. The seventh step is integration/ moving on, this step represents the full adoption of the new technology and it consider a useful and effective one.

In conclusion, change is unavoidable faith, therefore, IT must master how to deal with it and prepare enterprise to accept it. IT also must use efficient models to help them in managing change. One of the most common models to manage change is the change curve, which introduced in 1975 as a way to manage and explain the reaction of individuals to major losses, this curve used in organization to manage change.        

I am not exaggerating if I say that, this course is the best course I studied in my life. This course made a huge impact on my life, when I listened to Mr. Scott, or read either the textbook or the studies cases, I gain a new experience. Many of the obstacles that were mentioned in this course I have been passed through them personally in my work. I was the youngest manager in my enterprise, surrounded by old fashion managers. I spent my first two years to improve myself to inside my enterprise. But after I join this class a lot of things have change, this course gave me solutions to my problems, I even start to write notes about things I will do as soon as I go back to my works.

The benefits of this course are countless and priceless, but in my top list is Mr. Scott himself. To have a professor that has a broad experience, this will enrich your knowledge. This course also gives me the best way to deal with old fashion people by trying to achieve alignment with them. The study cases were very useful, these cases enlighten me in many ways, the main thing is a person must own persistence to solve his problems.

 I could not believe that, even with the huge amount of reading in this course, I enjoy every line I red. This reading, even it gave me a hard time, but I feel that I learnt many experiences. Other thing I think it enrich my experience is the discussing with Mr. Scott, even if I gave him a hard time by focusing in human rights versus the advanced technology and its effect in replacing human with machines.

The textbook in my opinion comes in the second place for the successful of this course, it written in very wonderful style that makes you enjoy reading it. It also full of models that can help in dealing with all IT works, also the sidebars in the textbook is a very useful source of experience.          

SmartExpert

(118)

Status NEW Posted 24 May 2017 01:05 PM My Price 18.00

Sho-----------rt -----------Ess-----------ayS-----------hor-----------t E-----------ssa-----------ySh-----------ort----------- Es-----------say-----------Sho-----------rt -----------Ess-----------ay-----------

Attachments

file 1495634490-Short Essay Ans.docx preview (1986 words )

S-----------hor-----------t E-----------ssa-----------y 1-----------: D-----------esc-----------rib-----------e t-----------he -----------rol-----------e o-----------f t-----------he -----------CIO----------- in----------- bu-----------sin-----------ess----------- to-----------day-----------. -----------Ens-----------ure----------- th-----------at -----------you-----------r a-----------nsw-----------er -----------add-----------res-----------ses----------- th-----------e f-----------oll-----------owi-----------ng -----------top-----------ics-----------: ----------- Wh-----------at -----------are----------- hi-----------s/h-----------er -----------res-----------pon-----------sib-----------ili-----------tie-----------s a-----------nd -----------pri-----------ori-----------tie-----------s? ----------- Wh-----------at -----------are----------- th-----------e m-----------ore-----------/le-----------ss -----------imp-----------ort-----------ant----------- sk-----------ill-----------s r-----------equ-----------ire-----------d o-----------f a----------- CI-----------O? ----------- Is----------- (s-----------)he----------- mo-----------re -----------of -----------a l-----------ead-----------er -----------or -----------a m-----------ana-----------ger-----------? -----------Wha-----------t a-----------re -----------his-----------/he-----------r r-----------ela-----------tio-----------nsh-----------ips----------- wi-----------th -----------oth-----------er -----------exe-----------cut-----------ive-----------s, -----------inc-----------lud-----------ing----------- th-----------e C-----------EO?----------- W-----------hat----------- ac-----------tiv-----------iti-----------es -----------sho-----------uld----------- th-----------e C-----------IO -----------foc-----------us -----------on -----------to -----------be -----------eff-----------ect-----------ive-----------? -----------It -----------was----------- in----------- th-----------e 1-----------980-----------s t-----------hat-----------

file 1495634495-Short Essay Answer.docx preview (990 words )

S-----------hor-----------t E-----------ssa-----------y 1-----------:Th-----------e c-----------orp-----------ora-----------te -----------fun-----------cti-----------ons----------- of----------- IT----------- an-----------d i-----------ts -----------dis-----------tin-----------ct -----------fea-----------tur-----------es -----------rel-----------ati-----------ve -----------to -----------oth-----------er -----------bus-----------ine-----------ss -----------imp-----------lem-----------ent-----------s. ----------- Th-----------e c-----------orp-----------ora-----------te -----------fun-----------cti-----------on -----------of -----------IT -----------is -----------to -----------lea-----------d t-----------he -----------bus-----------ine-----------ss -----------pro-----------jec-----------ts -----------to -----------tri-----------ump-----------han-----------t o-----------utc-----------ome-----------s. -----------The-----------se -----------var-----------iou-----------s c-----------orp-----------ora-----------te -----------fun-----------cti-----------ons----------- ha-----------ve -----------com-----------pri-----------se -----------of -----------the-----------rei-----------nfo-----------rce-----------men-----------t o-----------f d-----------eci-----------sio-----------ns,----------- ef-----------fec-----------tua-----------te -----------aff-----------ili-----------ati-----------ons----------- am-----------ong----------- va-----------rio-----------us -----------fir-----------ms,----------- br-----------ing----------- ab-----------out-----------inn-----------ova-----------tio-----------n a-----------nd -----------res-----------ear-----------ch,----------- pr-----------omo-----------tio-----------nal----------- ta-----------cti-----------cs,----------- pr-----------odu-----------cti-----------on -----------of -----------com-----------mod-----------iti-----------es,----------- tr-----------ans-----------por-----------tat-----------ion-----------, p-----------red-----------ict-----------ing-----------

Not Rated(0)

• Buy Answer