When chief information officers (CIOs) first entered the executive suite, some 15 years ago, they were not exactly a popular addition.“More comfortable with computers than people” was a common verdict on CIOs who had risen through the information systems ranks. Employers seemed to face a simple tradeoff: CIOs with depth and breadth of technology expertise or those with general business and interpersonal skills, such as the ability to exercise influence within the organization. Fortunately, companies don't have to sacrifice either of these qualities, says Harvey Enns, an assistant professor at the University of Dayton School of Business Administration. Technologists can be equally as effective as less technically specialized CIOs at mobilizing the support of other top executives.That finding stems from research on the nature of CIO influence carried out by Enns and three colleagues: Sid L. Huff, professor of information systems at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand; Brian R. Golden, associate professor of organizational behavior at the University of Western Ontario's Richard Ivey School of Business; and Christopher A. Higgins, professor of management science and information systems at Ivey. (Research results are available at http://www.sba.udayton.edu/CIO_influence.)
