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On LinkedIn, more and more professionals are identifying themselves as interim CIOs. A recent feature on the topic by IT for Business magazine ( “The Rise of Interim CIOs” ) highlights the growing interest in these professionals, who take on short-term assignments in IT departments that often require transformation. Whether you’re wondering whether to hire a transitional CIO, or considering becoming one, this article takes stock.
Who is the transitional CIO?
The interim CIO is a CIO in transit. As his or her name suggests, and like many interim managers, he or she is generally called in to take an IS and its management from point A to point B.
To carry out this mission successfully, we usually call on seasoned professionals, who will reassure us with their proven experience of situations similar to the one entrusted to them. The transitional CIO must be sufficiently equipped to immediately activate the right methods and reflexes, and thus meet expectations.
For these reasons, most transitional CIOs are not quite CIOs like the others. Quite often, they have entered the2nd half of their professional lives (45 years and over); they are seen as “big shots” and even, in the words of Pierre Landry in ITforBusiness magazine, as “mercenaries” of the Information Systems Department, with several profiles:
- professional at the end of his career;
- between 2 “CDI” positions;
- experienced professionals looking for a new career horizon.
It’s this last aspect in particular that we’re seeing the most movement, and a trend towards the rejuvenation of the “transitional CIO” profession. These “temporary” functions correspond to the expectations of a new generation of professionals in search of new resources, both in terms of commitment and the nature of their activity. In the same vein, we are seeing ESN consultants with varied experience and aspirations to assume a more key role in the organization taking up this type of position.
Last but not least, a higher proportion of transitional CIOs are women than the average incumbent. Perhaps this is because their human qualities are even more in demand in these particular contexts, or because on temporary assignments, the “glass ceiling” is easier to break through?
When should you call in a transitional CIO?
There are a number of situations in which a transitional CIO is required.
We often find that these professionals of a special kind are called upon in specific contexts, when the company needs to negotiate a “delicate passage”; in this context, we need an outside viewpoint to give us a free hand, someone with no liabilities, capable of establishing direct relations with the various stakeholders.
Sometimes, companies have no choice: In particular, if the position of the previous CIO is unexpectedly left vacant, either because he or she has left of his or her own accord, or because he or she has been “bumped off”, it may be urgent and imperative to put a “pilot” back on the plane… To manage an Information Systems Department at a moment’s notice, we can then give preference to a seasoned pilot, with many hours of flying experience, who will be able to take over the controls with composure, determination, dexterity and without delay… And that’s the whole point of an interim CIO.
In the absence of a crisis situation, an interim manager can also be called in. In particular, if a specific context requires proven experience that the incumbent does not have: support for hypergrowth, structuring transformation of an organization with a merger or acquisition, major change in the business model which makes it a highly structuring project requiring safeguards…
Finally, sometimes it’s simply a question of turning the page on an IT department that’s purring along, setting a new pace, revisiting the way the department operates, manages, steers and manages its Roadmap; in short, taking a fresh look at the organization of the information systems department.
What is the role of a transitional CIO? Focus on 2 key stages
Obviously, everything depends on the context that led to his arrival in the organization.
An interim manager is not a consultant: it’s true that we look to him for his ability to define a strategic vision, but we also expect him to know how to implement it. And quickly, if possible. An interim CIO has to make decisions – especially as the situation he or she inherits is often sclerotic in this respect – but also deploy them!
- Starting the job: taking charge
Expectations of both management and staff are high, and the mission is limited in time: there’s no time to dwell on the past, you need to get to the heart of the matter and look quickly to the future… even if it’s always useful to understand the real reasons for this transition.
As journalist Pierre Landry sums up so well, the first few days of a transitional CIO are crucial. It’s all about :
- carry out a flash audit of the situation and be able to read the sub-text, which is not always clearly stated in the initial Roadmap;
- Identify emergencies, find allies to solve operational problems, control IT risks, take the reins of complete management and reassure all stakeholders;
- build and implement new foundations. This often involves defining a new master plan adapted to the situation, which is also reversible. But it also means working on a reorganization, implementing change, proposing a new target organization, steer and manage the CIO during the interim between the 2 “incumbent” CIOs, bearing in mind that the interim CIO won’t always have the opportunity to hand over the baton to the person he or she is succeeding.
- End of mission: Preparing for a successful handover.
This phase is just as crucial and essential to the success of the transitional CIO’s mission. After a few months, it’s time to “hand over the keys” of the new department to the successor. A department that is theoretically in a better situation than at the start of the assignment. As a general rule, a period of “tuilage” is planned for the handover.
The transitional CIO is often involved in the recruitment of his or her successor (defining the typical profile and the needs to be met, drawing up the job description, selecting CVs) and has time to train him or her. This is a delicate period, however, and can lead to friction. The transitional CIO must ensure that the baton is passed on, and that Skills are transferred to the new recruit. The new CIO will legitimately want to take his place, make his mark and approach things with his own vision and sensibility, even though he may not have as much experience as the CIO before him.
A tool for the transitional CIO
To ensure this common thread and facilitate the transition, it’s a good idea to implement a dedicated IT management tool such as Abraxio. At the start of the mission, it will enable the CIO to gather and centralize all information linked to the management of the IT Department, and to share it with Teams within the Department, as well as with the business lines and general management. It’s a way of “opening the hood” on what’s going on, in a transparent way, which will reassure the interlocutors and give them confidence. The tool will also enable us to support transformation management and accelerate changes in practices. As Laurent Salabert, CIO in transition, explains: ” For a CIO in transition or taking up a new post, Abraxio has the real strength to get the Teams moving quickly.” When it comes to handing over the reins, this is one way of ensuring the transmission of key data, guaranteeing their reliability and the continuity of the Roadmap initiated during the transition assignment.
What profile and qualities does an interim manager need?
You can’t just improvise a transitional CIO; it’s generally a mature choice that corresponds to very specific profiles:
- enjoy taking on challenges and solving crisis situations ;
- flourishing in contexts of turnaround, reorganization ;
- defining himself (or herself) as a man (or woman) of “missions”, quite foreign to power plays, internal political ulterior motives and relationships within the organization chart.
A transitional CIO must therefore possess a number of qualities to succeed in his or her role, which require both know-how and interpersonal skills. In particular, he (or she) must be :
- Able to quickly grasp and analyze sometimes very different contexts, understand the issues at stake, and synthesize them, bringing a strategic vision and a cross-functional approach to subjects.
- Gifted with genuine interpersonal skills and the adaptability to blend into a corporate culture for a determined and often short period of time.
- Able to establish a relationship of trust with his client, often the Managing Director.
- Sufficiently generalist to ensure high-quality exchanges with all departments (the famous “internal customers” of the Information Systems Department) in a context where relationships often need to be cleaned up.
- To be a good manager, close to a coach, to get teams back on board, often in distress and destabilized by change. In this respect, the interim CIO must be just as effective at getting employees moving again, gaining their trust, professionalizing their work practices, and identifying both resource people and those who should be let go, without any qualms.
- Physically and psychologically strong. It may seem incongruous, but the transitional CIO never enjoys the 100-day state of grace you’d expect to find in a traditional new position. On the contrary, they arrive in an environment that is rarely calm, often in crisis, with a great deal of pressure and even mistrust. He or she is quickly expected to deliver results, and so immediately gets his or her hands dirty. These particular contexts don’t suit everyone.
- At ease selling themselves and developing their “personal branding“, because they need to move from project to project, and recommendations are a real lever for winning new business.
Advantages and disadvantages of the position
For the company, calling in a transitional CIO offers a number of advantages:
- They generally have an over-dimensioned profile for the job, which will enable them to get up and running very quickly, and to grasp their new environment quickly and skilfully.
- It’s a fresh, neutral look at the situation to be transformed, so we can free ourselves from any resistance to change.
- It is dedicated to its function for a specific period of time, often accelerating a situation.
- He or she often steps in during a crisis, leaving a calmer, more normalized situation; for the CIO who takes over, this is the best way to arrive in a healthier environment, without having to bear the brunt of a difficult, trying period.
The main difficulty is often to accept the special status of this expert who is temporarily present in the company: he’s a Contractor and not an employee, which implies a different relationship. For them, General Management is not the “boss”, but the “customer”; to achieve the desired results, you have to give them a free hand, trusting them and giving them real freedom of action.
Challenges, freedom of action…. A number of advantages to these transitional “mandates” have already been discussed. For the CIO, however, there are a few disadvantages to the position:
- Firstly, a form of precariousness. Many recognize that it’s not always easy to manage the intensity of one short-term assignment with the prospecting of the next. Inter-contract periods can be tricky for those who don’t appreciate uncertainty.
- It can sometimes be difficult to turn the page when the – often intense – assignment has gone particularly well; this remains rare, but it does happen that some interim CIOs end up choosing to stay with the company.
One last point, because it’s a legitimate question: whether you look at it from the CIO’s or the company’s point of view, the question of remuneration doesn’t seem to be a discriminating factor in the benefits of the position.
The day rate is certainly high, commensurate with the senior and “firefighter” profile, but the remuneration is without all the perks of salaried employment and other benefits in kind to which an open-ended contract is entitled (such as company car, profit-sharing plans, etc.). According to transitional CIOs, this potential loss of remuneration (which in any case is by no means a given) is largely offset by the gain in quality of life, and in particular the freedom to choose one’s working pace.
Who to call?
Three schools of thought emerge when it comes to hiring a transitional CIO:
- Freelancers. They are expanding their business and taking on new projects based on their network and referrals. Their numbers are growing, especially as the role gains visibility, particularly on social media and in CIO clubs; they can also be found on digital freelancing platforms.
- Intermediation firms. A number of generalist firms have long been established, and CIO assignments are booming among them, compared with other interim activities. Some placement firms specialize in interim management. These may be consulting or interim firms, recruitment agencies or headhunters. For companies looking for an interim CIO, this tripartite relationship will provide a form of security (they can ask for assessments or references), but the relationship with the CIO recruited is less direct; they will also have to pay fees that they could avoid if they were to use an interim CIO “directly”.
- Pure player” CIO collectives: these have emerged over the last few years and play on the affinity chord.