I'm doing two searches for a VP of Information Systems this month -- both of them for large, multichannel retailers. One of the companies thinks it might need a CIO. The other company knows it needs a VP-level IT executive, but there's been some discussion about how "strategic" the right candidate should be. Both companies agree that these days any senior executive should have bias towards topline growth -- which is why they have tuned to a marketing headhunter for help.
Without getting into a long-winded post about strategy, I hope you have seen this Adobe file for a basic SWOT analysis. Also, I'd like to draw your attention to two articles in this month's Optimize magazine:
- Changes at C-Level by Nathan Bennett and Stephen Miles of Heidrick & Struggles
- The Empowered CTO by Bruce Rogow
Mr. Rogow's article introduces the concept of an IT-management value chain -- which is an incredibly useful framework for deciding what type of executive a firm needs running its IT function. For example, growth-oriented companies might need a VP of IT who can generate ideas, get new concepts approved, and get new projects into development quickly -- and with a minimum of scope creep and political noise. Mature companies might need IT leaders who can deal with asset renewal / retirement and staff re-training and redeployment into future-oriented areas.
Both articles are worth a look, especially if you are about to embark on a search for a new CIO or VP of IT.
