Comments on: Monday Morning Update 4/20/09

By: MM

MM — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:18:25 +0000

Well said, Bilbo.

By: MM

MM — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:18:25 +0000

Well said, Bilbo.

By: Bilbo

Bilbo — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:58:46 +0000

I doubt that healthcare organizations would hire a CFO or CNO without the appropriate education and experience backgrounds, which I believe extends to the CIO position. Without this background, CIO are dependent on subordinates, vendors, consultants or others for knowledge and understanding of technical issues and are not able to bring their own knowledge to these issues. As with nurses, accountants and workers in general, IT personel expect their leadership to have an understanding of their work and will test leaders to determine thier knowledge and understanding of IT. But, this knowledge and experience is only one aspect of a good CIO. In addition, a good CIO must have good leadership skills, which are not easily defined or acquired. I would think that effective CIO’s don’t need a balance between technical knowledge and leadership skills, since they aren’t mutually exclusive, but a deep understanding of both aspcts and the ability and desire to apply both aspects effectively.

By: MM

MM — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:12:27 +0000

John Overbaugh Says:

“To be a good CFO, you need a balance between business leadership, accounting/finance principals, industry experience and vision.”

I agree with your statement about balance. But would you consider hiring a CFO without an Accounting undergrad? Unlikely. So why not have a similar requirement of a CIO, an undergrad in computer engineering or computer science. And to support what you said, other factors like leadership, industry experience, vision.

A CIO with no tech background is the same as a CFO with no accounting background. Or it should be the same.

By: John Overbaugh

John Overbaugh — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:19:57 +0000

This whole debate on whether a tech background vs. a medical background make a good CIO misses the point. To be a good CFO, you need a balance between business leadership, accounting/finance principals, industry experience and vision. To be a good CIO, you need a balance between business leadership, technology experience, industry experience and vision. Candidates come to the table with different strength areas (no one is fully developed in one area), which is why some CIOs with no tech background are incredibly effective and why some with no healthcare background are also incredibly effective. The key is to be balanced, to have people on the team who fill in weak spots, and use those people.

John O.