Mark Hennessy speaks candidly on transforming the IT organization at IBM, fostering a culture of innovation, managing IT during the financial crisis, maximizing the value of social networking tools, and taking advantage of an imminent technological game-changer.
The company is reducing shrink, boosting sales and eliminating the need to do inventory counts on high-ticket items. And, oh yes, the system has so far not made a single reading mistake.
When it came to a major overhaul of its business operations, the company allowed leadership of the initiative to migrate from one executive to another as the project moved to different phases. In the midst of it all, Jim McDade found himself in the role of prime contractor.
The competition sure is fierce when it comes to landing good young talent these days. Organizations are standing shoulder to shoulder around the global talent pool, trying to hook their share of Gen X and Gen Y keepers. But despite their youth, these new recruits are as wary and tight-lipped as a wily old bass. If you don't find just the right way to attract them, they won't give you a nibble.
It's time for IT to step up and play a strategic role in the financial services sector. That was the main message of a recent report from professional services firm Deloitte, entitled Running IT as a Business.
Let us pause for a moment of fond reflection on the schoolroom of our youth, where the teacher's best tools were a pointer, a blackboard and a voice that could make the fuzz on the back of your neck stand straight to attention.
Roundtable participants: Tom Atkins (moderator), President, The Tramore Group; Brian Gill, CIO, The Canadian Depository for Securities; Kumud Kalia, CIO, Direct Energy; Jeff Kent, CTO, Cineplex Entertainment; Jeff Williams, VP, IS, Staples Business Depot; Andrew Wood, CIO, Aon Reed Stenhouse
For politicians, the key to success is winning the hearts and minds of the voters. Former US President Ronald Reagan was particularly adept at this, using his skills as "The Great Communicator" to get his message across and win the electorate over to his way of thinking. CIOs are not unlike political leaders in that their success depends largely on winning the hearts and minds of users and customers. Those CIOs who take communication seriously are likely to have an easier road to success.