Jamie Smith, CIO at the University of Phoenix, believes enabling non-IT workers to create some of their own capabilities is a “force multiplier” that benefits the entire organization by enabling workers closest to business processes and customers to create the digital experiences they want and need to get their work done.
10. Acquiring and retaining talent
Global business consulting firm Protiviti surveyed 1,304 C-level executives and directors to understand the top risks they face. The top of their list? The ability to attract and retain top talent in a tightening labor market, which they see as limiting their ability to achieve operational targets.
Although many functional leaders experience challenges finding and keeping talent, CIOs are among the most taxed in this regard.
“The global talent shortage has burdened the job market, and researchers expect this issue to worsen, with 85 million jobs forecasted to be unfilled by 2030 due to a lack of skilled workers,” Rafuse says. “With tech advancement accelerating by the day, it’s possible the problem gets worse before it gets better. IT departments need to be able to keep up with constant updates, new operating systems, and emerging threats, or understaffed teams risk falling behind.”
He continues: “With so much competition for top talent and laid-off workers from Big Tech firms, companies need to be creative in how they set themselves apart. CIOs and IT leaders should also constantly explore methods to invest in the internal upskilling of their current staff in order to attract and maintain talent.”
11. Preparing IT teams for the future
CIOs have to think not only about their teams today, but their teams of tomorrow, too.
IT workers must keep pace with evolving technologies to ensure they can deliver and support the tools and capabilities their organizations will need to be successful. Moreover, technologists want to learn new skills, with multiple studies showing that they’ll switch jobs if they feel like they’re stagnating in their current role. (In one recent survey, 47% of responding tech workers said they’re considering leaving their current job to grow their skills.)
“Skilled IT labor is going to continue to be difficult to find in the future, so CIOs more than ever are going to have to look at opportunities for their staff to upskill,” says Matt Deneroff, vice president of technology talent solutions at staffing firm Robert Half.
12. Creating a hybrid work environment that works for everyone
CIOs say they themselves also must learn to work in new ways as the world shifts, particularly when it comes to supporting a hybrid workforce across their organization as well as leading their own teams in this new workplace model.
“Equipping employees with the tools and support they need to do their jobs, no matter where they are, needs to be a top priority for IT teams,” Rafuse says.
But at the same time Rafuse says CIOs, himself included, should consider what that means for IT staffers.
“[The] IT manager must balance this flexibility with a good life/work balance. Just because IT teams can always be on, doesn’t mean they should if you want to keep good talent around for the long term,” he says, noting that “businesses should strive for quality over quantity by streamlining the number of technologies and software they are using thus reducing the burden on IT. This will create a more positive and functional virtual working environment for employees, while reducing cross-department friction and IT team burnout.”
