The CIO Wears Cowboy Boots
When I interviewed Harold Esche, the CIO of the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, I knew right away he wasn't your average CIO. He wears cowboy boots. The interview was part of a story we were doing on the university’s engagement with Xerox in a multi-year contract—called Project Imagine.
Esche said that a university is in the knowledge business; creating, accessing, sharing, archiving information is at the heart of its mission to serve faculties and students. That mission, and the anticipation of significant growth (student enrollment is expected to increase from 28,000 to 35,000 by 2010), led Esche and his team to create Project Imagine. Accepting the reality of today’s digital information environment, this joint project is changing the way the university’s information infrastructure…people, workflow, and technology…is managed, built and extended. Naturally the goals include business efficiency and cost savings. But, according to Esche, it will also enable the university to create a better customer experience for the students and faculty. In turn, the university’s leadership expect the project will further their goals for attracting the brightest students and top faculty.
I was fascinated to hear a CIO talking about being responsible for developing and implementing more than technology strategies like computer networks and associated hardware. It struck me as real business leadership thinking. According to CIO Magazine’s “State of the CIO 2007” report, the usual CIO emphasis is on technology/systems planning versus the kind of strategic business planning that Esche seems to be doing.
So, I wonder if CIOs in other businesses are developing that kind of comprehensive strategic thinking and planning because I don’t think universities are the only organizations in the “knowledge business,” especially in today’s networked, global environment.
Bob Shea
Manager, Lean Six Sigma
Xerox