A CDO, or Chief Digital Officer, works closely with the CIO, the Chief Information Officer, but primarily focuses on digital strategies that involve marketing collaborations.
In today's fast-paced business environment, the need for effective collaboration between IT and marketing departments is more crucial than ever. According to recent reports, success lies in the common appreciation of each other's roles and thinking styles.
The Chief Information Officers (CIOs) are being urged to align themselves with the business, speaking the language of the industry rather than just the IT sector. Gartner's proposal of 'bimodal IT' - the ability to develop applications quickly outside of major systems and learn quickly before adopting anything structural - could be a step in this direction.
However, the role of the Chief Digital Officer (CDO) is not seen as a panacea for all issues. Instead, improved internal communication is key to bridging the gap. The CDO, if present, could play a pivotal role in facilitating this communication.
The CEO, aware of the importance of this collaboration, has asked both parties to work together to resolve their issues. Successful CIOs are spending more time with marketers and salespeople, understanding the link between demands and the systems they design.
The 2014 Price Waterhouse Coopers global CEO survey concluded that growth was high on their list of priorities. In this day and age, working the internal network is crucial to managing the gap between IT and marketing.
Both parties need to make movements. Marketing needs to shift their position and understand the back end better, while IT needs to be more open to new ways of doing things. Two functions should come together regularly to evaluate crossovers and priorities, accepting organizational security requirements and the need for speed.
The average CIO wants to spend more time on innovation, but competing pressures around security, commoditisation, and cost control remain high. The CEO may see the need for a CDO or an enlightened CIO who works bimodally across the business to increase speed and relevancy with all, including marketing.
Speed is a priority, which may contribute to marketers winning more of the digital dollar as the pressure to grow sales and stay relevant with a moving customer base increases. However, the CMO's call for the adoption of the latest demand generation tools may be met with resistance from the CIO, who is concerned about network security and infrastructure.
For five consecutive years after the recession, cost saving was the top priority for CIOs, but last year it moved to operational efficiency. This shift reflects the changing landscape of business, where speed and relevance are becoming increasingly important.
Up, down, and across the work culture should be focused on for effective internal communication. CEOs are concerned about the speed of technological change as a threat to their organization's prospects. CIOs should be highly commercial, culturally savvy, and able to work through communication gaps by listening and identifying needs, then calibrating expectations while remaining open to new ways of doing things.
Despite the challenges, the potential benefits of a successful collaboration between IT and marketing are immense. By working together, both departments can help their organisation grow, adapt, and stay competitive in an ever-changing market.
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