… but is in fact an organisational solution.

Delivering results today while laying foundations for the business of tomorrow – IT departments often find themselves caught between two conflicting aims. On the one side there is the desire for stable, cost-optimised day-to-day business. On the other side there are new business applications for which state-of-the-art technology is indispensable. The term “ambidextrous attitude” describes an organisational approach that takes both of these opposing requirements into account.

(* Ambidexterity = ability to use the right and left hands equally well – in an organisation, this refers to the ability for an organisation to be both innovative/creative and cost-efficient and stable)

You need two strong hands to bring both strategies together in an organisation:

• The role of Chief Digital Officer (CDO) as a driver of transformation
• The role of Chief Information Officer (CIO) with knowledge and expertise of data and technologies

Ambidextrous attitude is the answer to the new role played by IT in a business context. After all, specialist IT knowledge and abilities can make a real difference in critical areas. IT is not a corporate department, it is the breeding ground for successful businesses. But a new culture and a new type of organisational structure are required to leverage the full potential.

• The CDO’s primary focus is the business, the market, the products and the company’s digital innovation. The CDO must have in-depth knowledge of digital technologies to perform this role.
• The CIO contributes the IT competencies and focuses on aspects such as cost efficiency and smooth operations.

These roles can overlap once business models become data-driven, which is why combining them by applying an ambidextrous attitude is so important. A variety of organisational models are possible:

• CDO and CIO report to the CEO
• CDO and CIO roles are held by the same person

Benefits to IT: Re-positioning away from a pure cost factor to a business-shaping unit.