In the face of geopolitical, societal and economic uncertainties, CIOs can turn things around by working on their organisation’s technology fitness to reach TechQuilibrium.
This is one of the takeaways from the opening keynote delivered at the 2019 Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in Cape Town on Monday.
Similar to last year, this year’s event has attracted over 1 000 attendees, including CIOs and senior IT executives. What’s also significant about the 2019 event is that this year marks 50 years since the first message was sent across what became known as the Internet.
Kicking off the keynote address, Brian Burke, chief of research at Gartner, said the world is in a period of uncertainty. In SA, for example, Burke said growth has been uneven, with business confidence at all-time low levels.
However, Gartner remains optimistic for the country and the rest of the continent. “Africa has youth and youth brings opportunity, and opportunity brings change.”
Reflecting on the past 50 years, Burke noted the world has seen unprecedented technology innovation, adding the firm knows there is still more to come. “It’s hard to know what to plan when you don’t know what’s ahead. It will be critical to leap with your business peers to develop holistic strategies that result in positive growth and meaningful change.”
Val Sribar, senior VP for Gartner research and advisory, said technology has transformed enterprises, human interaction and society.
He explained that TechQuilibrium is the ideal balance of technology and people, digital and analogue, physical products and digital products. “TechQuilibrium enables you to be a traditional company and a technology company.
“With TechQuilibrium, you can win in these turns and the turns that follow, including the ones that you cannot even see. You’ll use TechQuilibrium to decide, design and drive in the turns.
“To hit your TechQuilibrium, you need to go as far as you can in the transformation of your business and operating models.”
The senior VP went on to say Gartner has observed that reaching TechQuilibrium can take organisations up to seven years, even for the digital giants.
He called on CIOs to think like designers, designing experiences, processes and operating models for change. “Designing for extreme and frequent turns, CIOs must use insights like data-driven models and scenario planning using artificial intelligence and advanced analytics to see turns ahead.”
Leadership expectations
Tina Nunno, VP and distinguished analyst at Gartner, told journalists during a roundtable discussion that CIOs must find their leadership TechQuilibrium.
Referencing Gartner’s 2020 Board of Directors survey, Nunno highlighted that 73% of directors see digital technology disruption as their number one business challenge, more important than talent acquisition, regulation and growth.
She elaborated that 83% of the directors surveyed believe digital giants will play a significant role in their industries, and 53 of directors say digital initiatives are their top priority for the next two years.
According to Nunno, board of director expectations are changing radically. “Boards have only now recently woken up to the opportunity of a threat of digital.
“The boards’ attention has shifted radically to digital expectations and digital disruption. They are really sensing what has changed in the market and following in the footsteps of digital giants – since they are taking off in many parts of the world.
“Non-IT execs are working to be more tech-savvy, while CIOs are always being pushed to be more business-savvy.”
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