Continuing along the theme of CIOs & thier role and how its changed in recent times, Computer world carries the article "Volvo exec: To succeed, CIOs must get the basics right".

Excerpts:
There's much more to the job of a CIO than keeping applications and corporate networks running smoothly, according to Scott Park, vice president and CIO of Volvo AB's global excavator business.

To be successful, CIOs must be more than technology experts; they have to become trusted members of a company's senior management team, said Park, who spoke to Chinese IT managers at the Asia CIO Summit 2005 conference in Shanghai on Friday.

Getting to that level means building credibility among other top executives by keeping the company's IT systems running smoothly and developing an in-depth understanding of the company's business, Park said. "If you can't deliver, you won't gain credibility."

Once that credibility is established, CIOs need to show they understand the company's business and how the investments they make in technology will add value. "We need to understand how ... to produce value," he said. "A lot of IT people can't see beyond the IT side of the equation."

CIOs must understand the long-term strategic goals of the company and develop an IT strategy that will help meet these objectives, he said. Doing this well means taking time to consider the business themes that are most important to the company.

"What they care about is what is IT going to deliver for us," Park said.

Even if a CIO has an in-depth understanding of the business -- and knows what IT strategy to adopt -- he must be able to communicate those plans to the CEO and other executives in language that will be meaningful to them, Park said.

Prashanth Rai