One of the most significant war battles developed in the 1930s between the crafts unions and the industrial unions. As a result, it was necessary to separate skilled laborers from unskilled laborers. As a result, when the American Federation of Labor (AFL) expressed reservations about separating the two unions, John L. Lewis established the Committee Organization of Congress within the AFL in 1935. However, the CIO and its members were excommunicated from the American Federation of Labor the following year for failing to meet its criteria. Lewis later withdrew from AFL and became the president of CIO within few years CIO had created big steels, automobiles, rubber and other major industries that run the American economy. As such, overtime CIO gained popularity and its membership hit two million in 1945. However, CIO became common in American Business in late 190s and early 1990s.
However, at this time in America CIO title was less used and had a similar role as the managing director. Some organizations referred to them as IT managers in their firms, while in some firms there was an IT manager who was known reporting to a senior officer referred to as the CIO. Therefore these titles were used interchangeably and the same fate has transferred into today's organizations as its often seen CIO in boardrooms trying to change the impressions from technology experts to business experts and leaders.
Therefore, the present study will answer the question: Does CIO and IT Organization have a role to play in future? More specifically how they will play their roles in cloud computing, social networking, package software solution and web-based and blended organization. The present study wants to obtain the real roles those CIO and IT organizations shall play in the future American Businesses. This research will help the current generation have a psychologically prepared mind that in future they are the likelihood of engaging in jobs that are not present today. In addition, this will also help learning institutions adjust their teaching curriculum so that they teach and train things that shall be applicable in the near future or later. In addition, the research also helps business organizations and firms plan for the future. This may involve putting up new equipment, training their employees on how to use new equipment, getting prepared with the likely changes in salary payment, mode of payment and may also prepare to hire experts that may help in the transition from the current stage to the next.
Current role of CIO and IT Organization
The roles played by the CIO and IT organizations in the business enterprises have been well documented by various scholars and economics in the world. Previous studies have shown the role and responsibilities of the CIO, the hierarchy in the organizations and the reporting order, and their relationship with other business functions. As such these previous studies have covered the vital points in the American Business society. However, there is a still contradiction on the two vital titles used in the business, that's IT organization and CIO.
Tomi, Hokkannen, and Newman (8), illustrated how the changes in technology have led to gradual changes of the CIO in a business organization. The authors explained that the CIOs had a lot of task in the firm as they were overall in all operations that took place. Therefore, with modern technology, the CIOs are no longer moving around to get information on the progress or somebody employed to help them get the progress of the businesses. Thanks to the technology that has enabled these executive officers of the business empires to get information at the press of the button in their offices. In addition, the three researchers revealed that for one to be a CIO he/she must be knowledgeable in terms of the technology and the changes that accompany the modern technology in the current business market.
Reporting Structure
On information technology governance and the strategic alignment Ping-Ju, Straub and Liang (506) reported that there is no clear structure indicating the structure of reporting in various organizations. They argued that this was largely contributed by various variations in the structures that were being followed. For instance they reported that there were companies that had both an IT manager and a CIO, and in such cases the IT manager reported to a senior officer that was for CIO, on the other hand, there was only a CIO in most organizations, this CIO played all roles that dealt with technology in the organizations. As such he was also referred to as the IT manager. However, Ping-Ju, Straub, and Liang concluded that in some cases there was a senior officer in the organizations referred to as Chief executive Officer, in such scenarios the IT manager reported to CIO expert who then reported to the senior most officers in the organization, CEO`s office.
Relationship with other business functions
Anita (56), in her book information system strategic planning, she illustrated the roles the CIO play in creating a good environment for both information system experts in the firm and those other organization in order to make it possible and sufficient to share information that is useful in running the organization. She further illustrates that there is need to improve the relationship between the business enterprises and the information system. Anita (67) argues that a good rapport between the two offices will ensure that the technological know-how of the organizations is always the best as they shall be able to identify the best ways of solving issues that arise and require information technology experts.
Salaries of CIO
Additionally, on the salaries of top chief officers in an organization, David and Purves (5) found out that the salary of CEOs was the easiest to be determined in an organization. This was because they are mostly the chiefs of all activities that take place in an organization and therefore everybody has always been eager to know what the big boss makes after each day. However, David and Purvey (7) stated that the salary of a CIO depended on the number of general assets under him, therefore, the higher the number the higher the salary a CIO earns in a firm. They also stated that the income of CIO in institutions of higher learning depends on the work experience one has, the longer the working period with an institution the higher the salary one earned. Besides that, in some cases, most organizations used ones academic papers in coming up with the amount to pay the CIO, for instance, those with PhDs earned higher followed by those with masters and then the degree to diploma and finally certificate graduates earned the least according to on the academic papers one had.
Future role of CIO and IT Organization
Previous studies have shown the background of IT and CIO in the American business organization. They have also shown both their roles in the past and the in the present firms and organization. Besides that researchers have also researched on the relationship of business firms with other functional bodies through the initiative of the CIO. However, there is limited information on the future roles of IT and CIO in the American Business. As such there is also less work done on the roles that shall be played on the resources such as, cloud computing, social networking, package software solutions, mobile computing, outsourcing by the CIO and IT organizations.
Methods
The study aims to find the future roles of CIO and IT organization in American Business organizations. Then the results from the research will help in determining their role in cloud computing, big data and business intelligence, web-based and blended organization, mobile computing. As such an open-ended questionnaire will be used containing questions addressed to the current CIO and IT experts in the American Business organizations. The question will concentrate on their expectations about their roles in the future. Additionally, an email questionnaire shall also be sent to some informational system experts in order to get their views on where they see themselves and their roles in like next twenty years and more. In an attachment to the questionnaire will be a brief and clear description of why there is study going on. Besides that, there will be confidential forms in order to guarantee the respondents secrecy by not sharing the information they give out but be used solely in this research.
The first question will address the current type of technology that is employed in most business enterprises. This is to see the flexibility of the technology in such firms and future changes in the technology department and human personnel in the same department. This question will target the employees that work in information system so that we get the first-hand information from the department. The second question which shall be addressed to the CIO and IT managers in the department, the question will aim to get the future expectations of their departments. The expectations of these senior management team in terms of their future roles, future employees and technological changes in the running of the American Business Organizations.
Additionally, secondary sources will also be used in getting information on the future roles of information systems and CIO in the American Business organizations. This shall involve the use of technological books written on the future roles in the businesses. Besides that, we shall use the analysis under Google Scholar and PubMed in order to select the most relevant information that we require from the website. These criteria shall also help us get the most updated information on the changes in future roles of CIO and IT Organizations.
Participants
This current study shall target mostly the employees of the business firms that have employed the use of technology in running their daily today businesses. This is so that we can get the first-hand information on what they see in future about their roles and technological changes in the market. The research shall also aim to see the expectations of the consumers in future. Therefore it shall aim at the customers of these business organizations and get their views on their expectations about the goods they consume today and their likely changes in future through technological changes and the roles of the CIO and IT in business firms.
Measurement
Analysis of the data obtained from the questionnaires shall be done in order to obtain the best way of presenting the final processed data. The data shall then be organized in statistical tables according to the responses obtained in the research. As such data from secondary sources shall also be grouped according to the responses given and then a complete statistical table comprising of the responses from primary sources and secondary sources shall be obtained to enable easy analysis of data obtained.
Data analysis
Analysis of data from questionnaires, emails and secondary sources shall be conducted in consideration of various vital factors. The results of the study will be analyzed and encoded electronically for safety and reference when required in the implementation of the plans. Analysis of possibility of changes shall be done in reference to the responses of the IT and CIO managers on their current roles and their expectations in future. Additionally, this shall be done by considering the expectations of the consumers in future, their expectations on the technological changes in future and finally the role the technology shall play in determining the role of the IT organizations and CIO in future.
Additionally, there shall be use of charts and statistical graphs in utilizing the clarification of the statistical data obtained. As such quantitative tables of data from the study will be created for easier analysis of data in consideration of the statistical packages. Therefore, these results from the study shall then be used to answer the research questions. Apparently, the analysis will then be compared to data from secondary sources used; this is so as to ensure that the results from this study are in agreement with previously conducted studies.
Impacts of the results on future roles of the following
The study reveals that CIO and IT organization shall continue to exist and there shall be better and improved systems in future, as such package software solutions shall over better and efficient services to the customers, there shall also be improved outsourcing in the market as it shall provide companies with specialized skills thus saving on time and effort which can be channeled elsewhere. This study also assures web-based and blended organizations future as the future of such companies was promising since the future will require most of the marketing be done online and on websites. Similarly, big data and business intelligence has a role in the future businesses organizations as there shall be need of storing data in a safe way and modern way.
Additionally, the future of online activities such as social networking, cloud computing and mobile computing is similarly promising. This is due to the improving technology in the businesses operation. Therefore, in future there shall be need of cloud computing, social networking and mobile computing services in order to improve the efficiency in service delivery to the customers.
As such, the future role of IT and CIO organizations is secured. The economy is going to be run by the technology. The employees in big companies shall be required to be well skilled with modern technology. Therefore, services such as cloud computing, mobile computing, social networking, web-based and blended companies shall have an easier time in fitting into the future market and business organizations (Wu et al. 499).
Summary
CIO and IT Organization have both developed gradually since their formation. The role they play in the American Business has been the driving force of this gradual but steady development in the country. Therefore, the background of the CIO and I.T in American Business, the founders, and the main role it was meant to play at the period of formation is explained. Then the research extends to the current the CIO and IT organizations play in the running of the American Business. To ascertain the future of IT, the research further covers the future roles of IT and CIO in running Business organizations in America. The research involved the use of both secondary and primary sources in order to obtain the required information. This information shall be considered when predicting the impacts of the CIO and IT in their future roles with the main stakeholders in the business.
Works Cited
Cassidy, Anita. A practical guide to information systems strategic planning. CRC Press, 2016.
Dahlberg, Tomi, Päivi Hokkanen, and Mike Newman. "How Business Strategy and Technology Impact the Role and the Tasks of CIOs: An Evolutionary Model." International Journal of IT/Business Alignment and Governance (IJITBAG) 7.1 (2016): 1-19.
Rowley, David, and Dan Purves. "Superfund salary survey: How do they line up?." Investment Magazine 113 (2015): 10.
Wu, Shelly Ping-Ju, Detmar W. Straub, and Ting-Peng Liang. "How information technology governance mechanisms and strategic alignment influence organizational performance: Insights from a matched survey of business and its managers." Mis Quarterly 39.2 (2015): 497-518.
