Should the CIO Know How to Code?
Mitch, a CIO, started his career as a code jockey. He loved programming, but there was the career ladder, and he climbed it. Still, when system crashes occurred, he was the first to roll up his sleeves and start debugging.
Obviously, he shouldn’t have. By taking control of the fix-it effort, Mitch prevented his staff from learning to do it themselves. And it’s not as if he had nothing else to do. Then again, these crashes had serious repercussions for the organization. Because he knew how to trace a downed system to the line of code that caused it, he was helping the company by doing taking care of it.
These days, opinions abound about whether CIOs should know how to code. The issue isn’t whether they should actually do the coding (or the debugging, Mitch-like) but whether they should know enough to understand IT complexities and to represent IT to its customers. With more and more senior IT leaders coming from elsewhere in the organization, this isn’t a trivial question.
Steven Lott, who has held numerous technical positions, maintains that well-functioning nontechnical CIOs are rare. He says those who have succeeded ask the right questions, probe for further insight, and reframe the answers in such a way that the business side will understand.
As Eric Bloom, a former CIO and head of Manager Mechanics, said in an email:
Strong and experienced managers should be able to manage any internal function if they surround themselves with competent and trusted direct reports with the appropriate subject matter expertise. That said, a deep personal understanding of the function being managed really helps. After all, how many CFOs have no financial background and how many SVPs of Sales don't know how to sell?
But deep technical understanding can sometimes be a disadvantage. As Johanna Rothman notes, the longer a manager has been away from technical work, the less that manager knows the technical details. Former technical CIOs may remember how things were done back when they used to write code, but that understanding could be outdated. Rothman emphasizes that trust is key: “As long as managers trust in their project teams, and as long as those project teams work to earn trust, both sides can work together.”
Of course, it’s because of the crucial role that IT now plays in the company’s operations and competitive advantage that nontechnical professionals are moving into the CIO slot. Bloom points out, “At the end of the day, many CEOs feel that it's easier to teach IT management to a business executive than it is to teach the business to an IT executive.”
If you’re an IT professional aspiring to an IT leadership position, this would be something to keep in mind when planning your career.
