Three CIOs discuss the wholesale transformation of their IT departments into respected business partners, in this free report prepared by the CIO Executive Council. “We were an organization of ‘no’ and we had to transform to an organization of ‘how,’” said Robert Fecteau, CIO of government contractor SAIC, describing his effort to turn the IT department into a partner trusted by other parts of the business. Fecteau and other CIOs offered their insights during a recent CIO Executive Council (CEC) webcast discussion about IT transformation. Niel Nickolaisen, CTO of O.C. Tanner, an employee recognition firm, described his IT overhaul in similar terms. Previously, “the culture inside of IT was rather toxic. It was driven by micromanagement. People needed permission to do anything. As you can imagine, the relationship between IT and the rest of the organization wasn’t very good. IT had pretty low credibility. We were really order-takers.” How do you turn that around? “We established early on two goals. One was short term: Never apologize for our technology again. In the long term: Deliver technology that amazes everyone that sees it,” Nickolaisen says. For more highlights from the CEC webcast, download this free report summarizing the discussion. “We were an organization of ‘no’ and we had to transform to an organization of ‘how,’” said Robert Fecteau, CIO of government contractor SAIC, describing his effort to turn the IT department into a partner trusted by other parts of the business. Fecteau and other CIOs offered their insights during a recent CIO Executive Council (CEC) webcast discussion about IT transformation. Niel Nickolaisen, CTO of O.C. Tanner, an employee recognition firm, described his IT overhaul in similar terms. Previously, “the culture inside of IT was rather toxic. It was driven by micromanagement. People needed permission to do anything. As you can imagine, the relationship between IT and the rest of the organization wasn’t very good. IT had pretty low credibility. We were really order-takers.” How do you turn that around? “We established early on two goals. One was short term: Never apologize for our technology again. In the long term: Deliver technology that amazes everyone that sees it,” Nickolaisen says. For more highlights from the CEC webcast, download this free report summarizing the discussion. download CIO Transformation Stories: IT Leaders Discuss Technology and Business Transformation CIO Executive Council Related content brandpost Sponsored by SAP A cloud-based solution to rescue millions from energy poverty Aware of the correlation between energy and financial poverty, Savannah Energy is helping to generate clean, competitively priced electricity across Africa by integrating its old systems into one cloud-based platform. By Keith E. Greenberg, SAP Contributor Nov 30, 2023 5 mins Digital Transformation feature 8 change management questions every IT leader must answer Designed to speed adoption and achieve business outcomes, change management hasn’t historically been a strength of IT orgs. It’s time to flip that script by asking hard questions to hone change strategies. By Stephanie Overby Nov 30, 2023 10 mins Change Management IT Leadership feature CIO Darlene Taylor’s formula for success: Listen, drive, care This Motor City CIO says building and maintaining credibility starts with an empathy-driven approach, which has the potential to render you highly appealing to top talent. By Michael Bertha Nov 30, 2023 6 mins Automotive Industry IT Leadership news MENA IT Spending to Grow 4% in 2024 By Andrea Benito Nov 30, 2023 2 mins Artificial Intelligence Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe