A recent study out of Deloitte suggests that the job of CIO is moving from "steward to strategist or revolutionary." If this strikes you as something akin to nonsense, you will enjoy a refreshingly skeptical column by Bob Lewis at InfoWorld, who explains why this news "is well worth taking the time to ignore."

Applying an inspiring blend of cynicism and pragmatism to yet another survey of attitudes, Lewis points out that successful CIOs have always been both stewards and strategists, and that isn't about to change. He takes apart the press release accompanying the Deloitte research, after taking the time to familiarize himself with "its pointlessness." The survey found that 45 percent of the respondents see their CIO as a steward, 45 percent see theirs as a strategist, and 10 percent see theirs as a revolutionary.

"The first question that comes to mind: Who exactly did Deloitte survey? And the second: Why are their opinions on this subject worth listening to?" Lewis writes. "Presumably, what's going on here is that the CIO's direct reports are describing their interpretation of how the company's top non-IT executives view the situation. It's hearsay testimony, which is, as everyone who has ever watched a lawyer show on television knows, inadmissible in court."

In the survey, a revolutionary CIO is one who "will increasingly have the ability to actually change how business is conducted." As Lewis notes, the dynamics of your average organization--the guarded silos, the turf protecting--are unlikely to facilitate this ability.

"Imagine you're the head of, say, global supply chain or maybe sales and marketing. Are you really going to allow the CIO to change how your operation runs?" he asks. "Unless you think the CIO is going to have a better handle on how every part of the company should run than the executive in charge, this is a seriously terrible recommendation."

It's not that the role of IT isn't shifting, Lewis maintains. It's just that it's shifting toward a position of collaboration, not revolution. Collaborating more effectively with the business is part of being a good strategist, and that depends first on being a good steward. 

"In the world of business, what 'revolutionary' ought to mean is someone who identifies new and potentially lucrative business opportunities, as well as who provides the drive to make them happen--in other words, a strategist."

For more:
- see Bob Lewis's column at InfoWorld

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