ANY CHANGE in the IT infrastructure is driven by business requirements. In the aviation industry the changes in technology have been driven by consumer expectations.

As CIOs, we have to be at the forefront in meeting customer needs and driving business transformation. We must be conversant with the strategic goals of the business and the alternative ways that the company can meet them. Armed with this knowledge, we can partner with the operating managers to create more powerful ways to do business, utilising new IT capabilities.

The CIO must actually take the lead in redefining the business. This requires first and foremost, that the CIO deeply understand the business, far beyond the day-to-day operations as currently conducted. We are definitely in a better position than other business functions to drive business growth and meet demands.

I believe that merely identifying new value opportunities is not enough. The business-minded CIO needs to assess the attitude towards any change, and the reaction of other business units to this change.

This has two vital components attached to it. One is to know the strength of the current business processes and the other is to understand how willing and able are the business units to make the changes necessary to reap the full potential of IT.

For this to happen, the IT function and the business have to change the way they think about each other. IT has to deliver and win the trust while business should understand that IT will add value to the business.

We need to talk business benefits of technology in a language that the business understands. The key to success in any change management initiative rests actively in engaging the business, and partnering with business peers in the company.

In addition, CIOs needs to be aware of the business problems, otherwise, however good they maybe, they cannot drive change within the organisation. More than ever, it will be the CIOs effectiveness that will determine the destiny of the company.

The challenge for me is that on the one hand the technology changes are happening at a rapid pace and on the other the business demands are increasing. Keeping a balance can be a tough ask.

BY Meenakshi Agrawal VP-IT, Mumbai International Airport Pvt. Ltd.
THE AUTHOR HAS has around 20 years of experience in the aviation industry