New Role for the CIO

As the capability of IT hardware multipies in deference to Moore's Law, Applications quickly grow to take advantage of this inexpensive manna from Intel Labs. What does not keep pace is the Human element including Knowledge, Attitudes and Skills.

The only proven way to surmount this Human bottleneck is to seek fresh blood at an accelerated pace. Newly minted graduates from Engineering Schools are found to be far more productive and adaptable than wizened old battle hardened wizards of yore.

It is simply not mentally possible for people to keep upgrading at the same frenzied speed as revisions in applications, platforms,technologies and the resulting mutations in business processes. It is inevitable that old will have to make way for the new and the CIO's main role should be to prepare organizations for these eventualities so that everyone can get the benefit of softlanding in an otherwise bewildering environment.

Organizations which choose to ignore these realities and let their CIO's continue to be glorified Purchase Managers will sooner or later have to pay the price for staying too long in their comfort zones.