Between multiple responsibilities such as budget, digital transformation, compliance, cybersecurity, training, and investment, the modern CIO is given more and more roles every day. And at the intersection of technology and business, a new area of responsibility is emerging: culture.

Gartner distinguished vice president analyst Kristin Moyer said in a keynote at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in Orlando, Florida, last week that by 2021, CIOs will be as responsible for corporate culture as chief human resources officers.

For business leaders, culture is often seen as the primary obstacle to digital transformation, and the responsibility for changing this is increasingly falling on CIOs. But Moyer noted that transforming culture cannot be accomplished in a single meeting: it relies on small, often overlooked actions that steadily shape new mindsets.

These changes can be relatively simple, such as requiring all decisions to be made within 48 hours; they can also be as large as modifying the decision-making rules themselves. In the broader business context, the key is to create an environment that promotes learning, change, and growth.

The transition to anadaptive and dynamic digital erabegins with culture.

Why CIOs need to be responsible for culture

The rapid pace of technological advancement is raising customer expectations of brands. But Sam Tepper, head of business transformation and sales excellence at Salesforce, said at the conference that without employee experience, customer experience cannot be achieved.

The consumerization of enterprise IT means that the CIO's customers are both outside and inside the organization. Gartner vice president analyst Leigh McMullen believes that CIOs should view their own culture as an "employee experience program."

Despite the optimism and excitement surrounding digital transformation, many enterprises fail to achieve their goals.Culture、technologyandleadershiphave a complex interplay that is difficult to balance.

McMullen pointed out that current digital transformation is much like a hype cycle: there is abundant energy in the early stages, but few participants manage to emerge from the trough of disillusionment. CIOs need to find ways to flatten the curve and sustain steady energy over a longer period.

While starting with strategy is important, many experts believe that culture is the most critical factor in the success of digital transformation. As management guru Peter Drucker famously said: "Culture eats strategy for breakfast."

Tepper said that to create an action-oriented culture, enterprises need collaborative work—because "the lone wolf is dead"—as well as modern communication systems, teams, metrics, and connected experiences.

The structure of culture

Although every organization defines and approaches culture differently, McMullen noted that there is a basic consensus: culture is "the way we do things around here." IT is precisely the automatic behaviors and habits that enable people to work together with minimal friction.

To change these deeply ingrained habits, CIOs need to show employees not just "what's in it for them," but also drive change at the right level. Changing core identity or intimate behaviors won't work, but focusing on formal work behaviors and social behaviors will change how employees work.

McMullen believes that leaders can influence culture through four "knobs":

  • Rhythm:how decisions are made
  • Collaboration:how people interact
  • Direction:how to measure
  • Value:how to create

The brain likes to form habits, so CIOs need to leverage this and figure out how habits relate to each knob. He said that many enterprises that have implemented agile have already done this to some extent.

In the components of habit—cue, routine, reward—McMullen believes that CIOs need to change how individuals interpret cues and help them shift to new routines. For example, conflict is a major trigger in organizations; by ritualizing how disagreements are handled and overcoming resistance to reduce negative emotions in these situations, enterprises can achieve transformation.

It is the anticipation of reward (not the reward itself) that drives the execution of routines; humans are naturally inclined to conform to groups, and by focusing culture on group units, social pressure will drive change. Leaders set the rules, but groups are responsible for enforcement.

By building new habits on existing ones, migrating habits from narrow contexts to broader business contexts, and having communities take responsibility for establishing and enforcing them, enterprises can redefine success and culture.

Taking the conversation a step further

De'Onn Griffin, senior director analyst at Gartner, said in a session at the conference that even when enterprises prioritize culture, the conversation often stops at diversity.

After all, the CIO community itself is not always diverse: 80% are male, and more than half are between 40 and 49 years old.

Griffin pointed out that there are several aspects of diversity in organizations to consider:

  • Inherited diversity:physical characteristics, race, gender, religion, etc.
  • Style diversity:how individuals present themselves and interact
  • Cognitive diversity:how individuals generate ideas and solve problems

These components are all crucial for diverse teams. Griffin said that CIOs need to examine their "diversity debt" and assess its impact on talent pipelines and recruitment.

But simply having a distribution of diverse characteristics is not enough: inclusion must also be a priority. Griffin quoted Verna Myers: "Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance."

She noted that a collective identity with purpose and values at the top, which enhances inclusion and diversity, helps drive corporate culture change. When enterprises shift from a service orientation to a solution mindset, communication methods must also change accordingly.

Don't forget to look in the mirror

CIOs should not focus solely on changing their team's processes; even the best leaders can improve themselves.

Moyer noted that many technology leaders spend 70% of their time in meetings and on email. So, cancel those meetings, send email updates instead, and make the idea proposer the CEO of their own idea.

Setting aside time for personal development and learning is also a future investment in higher-level leadership positions. Corporate boards need moretechnology leadership, and if CIOs and CTOs can demonstrate well-rounded thinking and knowledge beyond traditional business responsibilities, it will help them become potential candidates.

Griffin said that rewarding and nurturing inclusive leadership is crucial for enhancing workplace diversity and belonging. As team leaders, they should spend more than half of their time on leadership skills—both self-improvement and developing others.