CIO —
When, a few years ago, a local politician told Spencer Hamons, CIO of SLV Regional Medical Center, about an upcoming settlement with the tobacco industry, Hamons’ first thought was how he could get his rural Colorado hospital a piece of the payout. A close reading of the ballot initiative that would allocate the funds revealed a provision that would reward health organizations for data they collected about smokers, such as the percentage of patients who were current or former smokers. Hamons knew most hospitals didn’t have that information. And so, at his insistence, SLV added a field to its patient intake database to collect it. When the ballot initiative became law, SLV got the payoff. "That was a $200,000 turnaround," says Hamons.
Definition
Innovation Agents put the highest emphasis on strategic thinking and believe strongly in IT’s ability to drive new business initiatives. They are very likely to be members of the executive committee that reports to the CEO and they are most often found in smaller and midsize companies.
Hamons’ inspiration is typical of CIOs who are Innovation Agents, according to "The State of the CIO 2007" survey. Innovation CIOs always think about business first. Compared with other CIO archetypes, more innovators (87 percent) believe that IT should proactively imagine business possibilities. The innovator is also more focused on generating revenue than her peers. Her emphasis on using IT to improve customer service and support reflects this sensibility.
Innovation Agent CIOs focus on the big picture: Among survey respondents, they spend the most time on strategic decision making. "My job is to think about where my organization is going to be 10 years from now and how technology is going to factor into that vision," says Fritz Fekete, director of information systems at the Ohio Education Association.
Strengths
Janet Sherlock, CIO of interior decorating fabric retailer Calico Corners, says strategic thinking is her most important skill, as do 70 percent of innovators. As an example, she offers this story about her approach to deploying an ERP system for the company.
Calico Corners traditionally kept inventory in both its 115 retail stores and its distribution centers. Sherlock’s team was designing the ERP system to support both. "But we never actually sell anything from the stores," says Sherlock, because customers always place custom orders. Instead of building a system that supported an inefficient business practice, Sherlock suggested that the company stop stocking inventory at stores. Now the company is testing the new inventory model, which has potential to save the company millions.
