Express Your Views

The most significant aspect of 21^st century is the proliferation of individual expression to the world at large. Humans are always enamored by their desire and ability to express. Stone drawings to Tweets are the manifestation of this quest.

 

21^st century uniquely places the entire world as the recipient to any and every individual’s view with great ease and effectiveness. Today is defined by this OPENNESS. If I were to withdraw this aspect of life, 21^st century is far INFERIOR to 20^th (in my perspective. Why? Elsewhere!)

 

Every occasion of openness has created two contradicting followers. Those who USE and Those who ABUSE. Yet, the biggest challenge to me (I assume for others like me) is to give a positive response to the reality of Expression as ESSENTIAL.

 

After accepting that there is a NEED to express, the issues of Secure, Safe and Consistent mechanism comes into foray.

 

Expression is a TWO-WAY process involving the entire audience and their willingness to accept Expression. This is different in the big world of internet and is ridden with subtle issues around Organization Culture inside an intranet.  

Choices are :

1.       Resist and Refuse to have any sharable view or opinion

2.       Have a guarded (and acceptable) level of Expression

3.       Everything I feel will be expressed (no holds barred)

 

Why one should Express?

1.       If already the ‘value’ creator, your ideas and opinions define the organization. Yet, many may seek to follow your logic and reason. Your success brings followers. You can lead them.

2.       If ideas are radical, novel or out of place, you need to express them cogently to give them a chance to be pursued

3.       If ideas need support, resources and critique; your expressions will bring these.

4.       If your ideas are destructive (yet likely to be true), tread carefully as your expressions will take time before valued. Galileo faced it.

 

Writing needs greater structure and content. This by itself, will organize your idea into a higher plane. If don’t express, there is really no way of progressing it to next stage (unless it needs no other support).

 

Organizations require a higher level of relationship to foster collective work systems. These are supported by a set of explicit and implicit conduct and behavioral boundaries. Expression will be governed and systematically will to be expanding around to provide increasing scope and strength. Emphasis shall be on maximizing USE and minimizing ABUSE.

 

Some starting guidelines could be:

1.       Encourage expression {All of us have a blog site}

2.       Denounce and Correct any Personal issues and references

3.       Zero tolerance on certain areas like – abuse, explicitness, vilification

4.       High standards of dignity in language and content

5.       Enforce confidentiality with respect to relevant data and detail of the organization

 

Within this, efforts should be made to EXPRESS. Initially, there will be ascription of (both) credit, discredit, motif, support, embarrassment or embellishment.  It is unavoidable and unless the original expression or its comments transgress out of the guidelines, it will be a learning to become visible.

 

Try never to react. If it is needed do after 48 hours of discussing within that the ‘reactionary’ view could be right. It will definitely moderate your response. You mostly will not regret your Post.

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CIO encourages, facilitates and guides the organization to rightfully 'express' themselves

Four Phases in Growth of IT

I am one of the fortunate to have lived through the 4 phases of Computer Technologies. It has been a great learning, when I recognized these 4 phases and the way it impacted.

1.       The first batch of B.Tech Computer Science just came around in 1980s. Everyone, Civil Engineer to Sociologist learned how to Program and use the computers to their respective problems. Very new insights were found in every branch of Science, Technology and Commerce by using computer processing. CREATIVE phase of DISCOVERY

2.       Programming became a “profession”. Early adopters (1) got fast growth doing generally applicable solutions for their problems. CICS/IMS/COBOL gave foreign job opportunity. Rapid growth in Programming training. Streets full of Oracle training schools! Every college has established a Computer Science/IT course. World was on the course of Y2K water-fall! Nobody knew why year has to have 4 digits or will the airplanes fall down on 31-12-1999 1sec before 0.00hrs of Year 2000. PROGRAMMERS were EMPOWERED. Programmer decides – business endures.

3.       Managers who spent Billions of $ didn’t enjoy the event free Y2K transform. Big Bust of the IT startups. Bad assessment and control of Managers stood tall. MS introduced the almighty weapon – PowerPoint. All IS got refocused to provide the support to Management – ERP, Business Graphics, PPTs is priority. Programming and Computer Science became a ‘Commodity’. Professionals abided with Corporate IT Strategy and Security. Everyone forgot Programming. Quantity didn’t necessarily excite Quality in using Computers. MANAGEMENT FOCUS.

4.       New breed of platforms and frameworks kept GOOD programmers away from commodity IT. New RAD platforms came in, silently revolutionizing the art and science of problem solution (programming) on computers. Customizing lost its glamour and kind of detested. Configurable solutions EMPOWERED knowledgeable users to become CREATIVE on their OWN. EMPOWERMENT is the WORD for ALL. Governance gave room to Control. Managers got to DRILL-DOWN on DEMAND and detach from FED-IN PPTs. Professionals rediscovered their ability to create new information. Programmers thrived on creating the tools for world to evolve.

Information Systems (IS) and Information Techology (IT) is in this 4^th Phase. Where are You?

1.       Did I create any new solution to what I do regularly on the computers, increasing value or productivity?

2.       Do You have a creative new digital information idea that will make You see hitherto unknown?

3.       Can You implement the idea  before week-end?

4.       Do You see all data you "need-to-see" and have "right-to-see"?

5.       Can You differentiate data and documents and can independently verify their conformance?

6.       Do You actively share and collaborate ideas and knowledge?

Yes to one of more points to you being on the 4^th. Else, time to create similar set of questions to see if you are still in  3^rd or struck further down. {Do I work largely on Emails and Powerpoint as source of information? +++}.

CIO is responsible in the organization to build the necessary culture, systems and learning to move on the EMPOWERMENT phase. HIT (Head IT) will provide the needed infrastructure and governance framework to get it RIGHT, SAFELY and SECURELY.

Let us think further on what this new IS phase 4 has offered and how it can be leveraged

CIO & Organization

Modern organizations have some wierd positions. CIO, CKO, CTO, CPO and COO are the GenX Chiefs in demand.​ CEO is the most common and well established position closely followed by CFO.
CIO and CTO are often treated as synonyms. In a world where everyone thinks only about IT as 'the Technology', they both deal with the business's IT.

IT itself is an interesting concept. Sometime later, I will dwelve on its radical evolution. Notwithstanding the fact that world's largest number of graduates are engaged in unravelling and developing IT, the most common conception is that of universal expertise and knowledge of one and all on it. I havent met anyone stating ignorance or lesser understanding of any or  for that matter all aspects of IT.

Head IT Department (HIT) is another very potential new position most companies created by 1990s. Significance and importance of HIT could become a classic example of rapid change.

Companies like Banks started with HITs as support HODs to become the main business drivers with e-banking. In others the HIT along with IT per-se has become ERP. In engineering and operations dominated companies, HIT has come to represent the corporate IT infrastructure (Networks, Desktops, Emails, Security, Internet, Gateways, +++).

Who is this CIO then? Why and where does this role perform? How does this distinguish from CTO?
These have become important to me on 2006. It remains important. I took over as CIO to a large business.

In this blog, I propose to examine the growth of INFORMATION and its significance along with why INFORMATION OFFICER needs to be a CHIEF. Let us wait to think.