Too busy catching Pokemon this week to read the news? We've got you covered. This week's news roundup for CIOs and IT pros features new productivity hacks, links on the evolving role of the CIO, and insights into the gaps preventing businesses from going digital. Catch 'em all below.
Augmented reality goes mainstream
Pokemon Go fever has swept the nation this week. According to TechCrunch, the app “has now topped Twitter’s daily users, and it sees people spending more time in its app than in Facebook.” Experts says that the popularity of the app is an important moment in time for augmented reality (A.R.). “Many technology companies thought A.R. might first take off through specialized business applications that, for example, allow architects to visualize finished building projects in situ. Instead, it took a game based on a beloved entertainment franchise from the mid-1990s in Japan to help the technology go mainstream,” an article in the New York Times by Nick Wingfield and Mike Isaac states.
CIOs and CEOs closer than ever
Wall Street Journal report Kim Nash writes on the changing role of the CIO. Citing examples from Target, Delta Air Lines, Johnson & Johnson, and research from Korn/Ferry International, Nash explains how the relationship between the CIO and the CEO is critical to business and technology advantage. “With software at the heart of many new business models and CEOs part of executive teams that as a whole know more about information technology than their counterparts in the past, everyone wants more from CIOs,” she writes.
Productivity hacks for meetings
We recently shared a list of productivity hacks, including a gem from Madison Logic CTO Greg Franczyk about making meetings more focused and productive. This week Mark Samuels shared insights from four CIOs that can offer even more useful tips for keeping meetings on track. These strategies are bound to come in handy when, as Samuels points out, “Research suggests the average employee attends a total of 60 meetings per month, and that 30 percent of workplace time is wasted in the process.”
New report: More than half of IT leaders unprepared for digital business
A new Gartner survey has found 59 percent of IT leaders say their organizations will not be ready for digital business within the next two years. The survey went on to ask about specific technology and skills gaps standing in the way of digital transformation. Notably, “Three of the top 10 responses about gaps identified professional effectiveness skills – critical thinking/problem solving, business acumen/knowledge, and communication skills,” Jessica Davis writes in InformationWeek.
Gender equality and IT skills gaps
Speaking of skills gaps, an article in CIO this week makes a strong case suggesting that as businesses work to close the gender gap, it may help to solve their talent problems, as well. The article provides three strategies for CIOs looking to tap into this often overlooked pool of talent.
