INTERVIEW OF THE MONTH
INTERVIEW WITH MRS. ANNAPURNA DEVI KUCHIBHATLA,
CTO,
Bajaj Electronics
What are some of the characteristics that best in class CTO/CIO’s display that allows them to lead a digital business and influence the rest of the stakeholders?
As the CTO/CIOs lead the digital business, they need to work with the people, processes and Technology that are prevailing both within and outside the organization. Hence Synergy is their Mantra. They possess diverse characteristics like being both innovative and pragmatic; working on taking the digitization to the next orbit while being cautious about ROI; working with and for all the functions of the organization, without losing focus on their own IT function. They do not lose the forest for the trees or trees for the forest. They are great strategists as well as excellent executives. They are agile and disciplined; They think global and act locally at a given point. They try to understand and be understood.
CTOs/ CIOs are transforming from traditional IT service delivery to a more strategic role. They are no longer just responsible for IT services management, rather they are leading strategic initiatives. What is your opinion of the evolving role of a CTO/CIO?
CTOs/CIOs transforming to the role of leading strategic initiatives is a welcoming change for both the CTO/CIOs and the organization. IT is the enabler, has a role to play everywhere in the organization. CTOs/CIOs are more equipped to lead strategic initiatives as they have both intuitively and analytically aware of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats involved in different dimensions and at different planes. They are aware of both the intent and the content. They understand the big picture as well as the details. Because of this, the CTO/CIOs can bridge the gap between the strategy and implementation effectively, leading to the successful implementation of the Strategic initiatives. But as of now, this role of the CIO/CTOs is recognized consciously. Necessary empowerment and support in this direction have to improve for achieving the best results.
Enterprises already on the path of digital transformation were well prepared for the volatile situations, while others scrambled to cope with the sudden demand for technology assets during the pandemic. What are some of the good practices in embracing the change brought about by the pandemic and making an enterprise future-proof?
For making an organization future proof, good practices can be followed like opting for Cloud Services where suitable, rather than On-Premise facilities; having more focus on Information Security; having failover and active Business Continuity Plans in place; having Periodic Risk Assessments and Risk handling plans, Implementing endpoint security as required. Since the work environment can be work from Home or Hybrid work environments or work from anywhere, careful monitoring of Access controls is very important. Metrics-based and Risk-based approach has to be adopted and suitable decisions have to be taken. Omnichannel business options are to be developed and WAP-based and BOT-based customer support should be in place to support customers during purchases, installations, and warranty. Integrations with UPI code-based payments and payment gateways also made the life of the customers and the staff easier.
CTOs/CIOs are being tasked with steering cultural change in their respective organizations in order to drive the digital transformation efforts that are necessary to support innovation and implement customer-centric strategies. How do you think CTOs/CIOs are becoming the new agents of change today?
The ecosystem is getting more and more automated. Handling the huge work manually is practically impossible. Reporting, analytics, AI, IoT, BOT, etc have become the basic necessity. Though resistance to digital transformation exists due to various reasons, we need to accept that comparatively, it’s a bit easier now for the CIO/CTOs to impress upon the users on the changes in Technology than before. As Change Agents, the CIO/CTOs role lies more in understanding and foreseeing the requirements of the employees and the customers; They also need to work on providing faster, cheaper, simpler, and reliable solutions. The innovations shall be easy to use. For the users, the implementations shall be as painless as possible. The CTO/CIOs have to Encourage users not only to provide requirements correctly but also to test and use religiously; They also need to make the users understand the outcome and impact which the implementations are going to provide. The CIO/CTOs have to help in simplifying the business processes and take up the Business Process Re-engineering where required.
Enterprises are at different stages of their digital journey. What kind of competitive advantage can enterprises get with the early adoption of new and emerging technologies?
The early birds make the hay faster. The organizations which use IoT, BOT, AI etc are capturing the details as to where they are missing the business, money and customers. So, by using emerging technologies, organizations can improve their top line and bottom line. They can reduce pilferage and control fraud. They can focus more on Customer requirements, Customer Support activities and can improve their Customer Delight Index and Market share. Further, they can have the right short-term and long-term strategic plans so that their present and future profits and position are assured.
Technology initiatives have always until recently, been the responsibility of the chief information officer/chief technology officer. In the context of Indian enterprises, do you see the change happening where CEO’s and COO’s are getting increasingly involved in suggesting or driving these initiatives?
It’s ideal that IT is aligned with the business and the drive should be top-down. Hence the CEO’s involvement in the Technology implementations at the Steering Committee level is very much required. IT implementations bring change in the way the organization operates. Hence it brings changes in the operations in a big way. The COO has to be involved before, during, and after the Implementation. The CIO/CTOs have to work closely with the CEO, COO, and CFO. The CIO/CTOs had to involve in the areas of CEO, COO, and CFO. The borders are blurred but not eliminated. The responsibilities, ownership, and accountability are to be well understood and defined. As the IT initiatives are impacting the Business, operations, and Finances in a big way, the C-level has to work collaboratively.