Adventures of an IT Leader
Chapter 1:
Jim Barton is the new CEO of IVK Corporation, stock prices have fallen substantially, midsize growth is
attempting a turnaround following a period of slow business performance.
CEO Williams told Barton he is new CIO, hew was surprised, be he has no IT experience
Williams originally proposed a different role for Barton, but the Board insists he became the CIO
Barton has no transition period
Barton tried to do some researches, brainstorming about the role of CIO ( googles …)
IT MANAGEMENT IS ABOUT MANAGEMENT
Why would Carl Williams ask a non-technical manager to assume the CIO position?
Williams recognized that the IT department needs strong management to make up for the lack of effective
management from the last CIO. Williams turned towards a stronger executive manager to step in and
correct what he viewed as a lack of effective management for the IT department. Also the previous CIO
had good technical foundation, but the he could not manage the IT department effectively.
If you were Jim Barton, would you take the job?
I would be very concerned about the lack of technical skills for the CIO position. A weak technical
background for this position would make it hard to effectively cater to the needs and demands this
position would present. However in this case, this weakness is not a critical area of concern because of
the strong managerial background Barton possesses. The managerial skills are what IVK’s IT department
needs right now. IVK’s previous CIO was very tech savvy but lacked critical management skills. Barton is
here to now more effectively utilize the very skills competent IT department through better
management. His lack of IT skills can be built upon gradually as he works with the IT department.
What do the IVK Corporation exhibits tell you about the current state of the company? Given this
information, what does IVK need from a new management team under CEO Carl Williams?
IVK Corporation now ranks at no.2 in the market, holding only 16% shares of the market, and the stock
price for IVK has been declining since last August, thus the current condition is not good for IVK. A new
team in which everyone has communicated well with each other and is able to the company back on
track. They also need new CIO with strong management skills to manage the IT department.
Chapter 2: CIO Challenges