SERVICIOS EXONERADOS DEL IMPUESTO GENERAL A LAS VENTAS

According to Schubert (2004), the state of the information technology leadership profession is no different from any other profession in its earliest stages: It is evolv- ing. From an organizational context, because all companies work at a unique level of IT management maturity, the responsibilities of the person at the top of the IT organization follow those same idiosyncratic centralization cycles and respond to influences that the prevailing business climate has from the standpoint of overall organizational maturity. Amidst all this flux, CIOs can count on one consistency

from organization to organization at all levels of IT maturity: The horizontal reach of and expectations put on the CIO are significantly greater than they were 10 years ago. Whether the CIO reports to the chief executive officer (CEO), the CIO is expected to be more businessperson than technologist; he or she is expected to lead and manage directly, by means of influence, or through a combination of both. Within this same context of greater horizontal reach, the organization may or may not expect the CIO to perform as a key member of the senior executive team directly participating in the development of key company strategies, tactics, and initiatives. Depending on the company, the culture, and the CEO in particular, the CIO either holds a key executive position with all its obligate leadership responsibilities or works as the head manager of the company’s IT utility.

In the context of the significant economic and technological growth periods and significant economic downturns, more enlightened senior executive teams look to the CIO in times of growth to help them maximize the opportunities for the com- pany and its employees to benefit from that growth: to gain significant competitive advantage. Similarly, those same enlightened senior executive teams look to the CIO in times of downturn to help them make the most of what they have, find ways to leverage any advantage against the competition, provide the technology to get the greatest productivity from their workforce, and to find ways to get more for less throughout the company (Schubert, 2004).

Looking at the CIO in the context of organizational authority, it is interesting to look at the range of the CIO reporting responsibilities. In a survey cited in Schubert (2004), 26% of 500 of the Fortune 1000 had CIOs who reported to the CEO, chair- person, or president, with the remainder reporting to lower-level executives. In the same survey, 30% of the 100 CIOs in the top-ranked companies reported directly to the highest executive.

Focus and prioritization always challenge people who work in senior executive position, especially the CIO. By the very nature of the job, he or she has a strategic as well as a tactical role. Although the CIO’s role is supposed to be primarily stra- tegic, CIOs are forever associated with the IT group. Consequently, the CIO must be prepared to handle any number of tactical issues, and even projects, whether the position involves direct IT group management responsibilities. As such, the CIO is continually challenged to stay focused on achieving strategic objectives while prioritizing key personal work activities and IT organizational work activities to meet enabling commitments to peers and partners (Schubert, 2004).

Specifically, the CIO works in partnership with peers to ensure that the company’s organizational strategies are translated into actionable plans that the IT team can execute. The CIO demonstrates an enabling partnership relationship by visibly aligning and prioritizing IT resources with commitments made to peers (Schubert, 2004).

The Chief Information Officer 

A special challenge might emerge for the current CIO when the new CEO has IT background. Nortel Networks Corp. named former Motorola Inc. executive Mike Zafirovski president and CEO in 2005. Before he started his new job, Zafirovski announced at a press conference that he plans to build support systems for customers and have a sharper focus on corporate IT (Computerworld, 2005).

According to Gartner (2005), CIOs face increasing demands on their time and atten- tion. Time robs CIOs of management capacity. CIOs can expand their management capacity by leveraging an “office of the CIO.” CIOs have big jobs with diverse business, technical, and organizational responsibilities. The complex issues sur- rounding these responsibilities require coordination and thought to resolve properly. The result is often long days, and sometimes even longer nights for the CIO. CIOs need a way to get more management capacity without increasing overhead and bureaucracy. Making time involves extending the management capacity of the CIO and the IS leadership team. Leading CIOs create an office of the CIO in response to these challenges.

The office of the CIO provides an organizational structure for extending manage- ment capacity without building overhead and bureaucracy. An office of the CIO leverages management capacity and builds the next generation of leaders in the IS organization. The office of the CIO is an organizational structure for the CIO, IS, and the business. CIOs define the scope and roles of the office to fit their needs. CIOs use the office to strengthen IS. Roles within an office of the CIO reflect its enterprise-wide focus and specialized position. Gartner suggests four alternative office models:

1. A semiformal office of the CIO provides a flexible tool for responding to IT issues. TRW Automotive’s semiformal office is integrated into the IS leader- ship.

2. A collaborative office of the CIO provides agility to address issues, and re- sources to follow them through.

3. A coordinating office of the CIO connects IS across business units. Tyco Fire & Security uses the office to help run IS like a business.

4. A directional office of the CIO extends the CIO’s leadership reach. Lands- bond der Christelijke Mutualiteiten uses the office to direct IS and business change.

The office of the CIO is an enhancement to existing management and governance structures. CIOs choose a model most relevant to business needs, thereby avoiding to create an administrative function that would be seen as management overhead or bureaucracy (Gartner, 2005).