Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 76 | Page 67

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HOW CIOS IN AFRICA CAN CREATE A LEARNING CULTURE

CIOs in Africa need to develop soft skills such as collaboration , communication , empathy , problem solving , strategic mindset , besides just being an IT analytics master says Harshvendra Soin at Tech Mahindra .

The technology talent shortage has CIOs in Africa scrambling to ensure that employees brush up on the latest skills and technologies that facilitate business agility . Among the domains in the highest demand : cloud computing , Machine Learning , data science , software engineering and cybersecurity . A lack of skills and resources has been either the number one or number two obstacle to achieving organisational objectives , according to the past four annual Gartner CIO surveys .

A creative , human-centric , and agile approach is what helps enterprise organisations in building the next generation of IT leaders . Forward looking companies are offering a robust learning and development ecosystem and are empowering them with the desired tools & techniques to lead the future growth trajectory . Recent Gartner research reflected that CIOs who establish a strong sense of purpose at the department , team and individual level can build a more positive culture and promote greater business success .
In line with this , enterprise organisations have been continuously investing in imparting a conducive environment for employees , enabling their holistic growth . They are powering them with a sense of ownership , which to me , is a must for all the organisations to implement if they value their workforce . In this race to attract and retain the best workforce , we must not succumb to short-term fixes , rather work towards a long-lasting strategy that blends in perfectly for the overall development of the team .
Today ’ s role of a CIO demands them to move beyond just managing IT , instead towards helping the organisation find their competitive advantage . A futurefocused CIO should emphasise on business acumen with technical depth , along with evangelism and
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