Where will future CIOs come from? The importance of CIOs continues to escalate as organizations increasingly tie their operations to IT infrastructure, data, AI, and other technology. CIOs responsible for ensuring complex systems provide a competitive advantage rather than a headache do not simply emerge from the digital ether.
Poaching talent from other organizations only goes so far — eventually new CIOs must arise to take over. Are they promoted from technology professionals within an organization’s ranks? Do they start on the CIO path in college?
Michael Zastrocky, Ph.D., executive director of the Leadership Board for CIOs in Higher Education, discusses the early emergence of chief information officers and how the next generations of these professionals may be set on the path to assume these roles.
What kind of preparation do CIOs-in-training need? Is there an on-the-job approach or do they need to be upskilled via specialized schooling? Are there particular skillsets that are common among CIOs, skills they typically pick up in college or early in their careers?
