His company’s recent survey of tech and engineering leaders suggests that soft skills are getting harder to find. “There’s a higher demand to learn new technologies and skills,” Greever says. At the same time their adoption has made managers’ roles more complex and challenging - with a rising emphasis on non-technical know-how. If an IT manager cannot find a way to find that balance, they will struggle along with the business to stay competitive in their industry.” Get softĪI and cloud technology have reduced some of the burdens of IT managers, says Lane Greever, senior vice president of enterprise at IT service management firm Modis. An IT manager needs to be able to provide the bridge between the need to keep the lights on and technological advancement. “They also expect stability and always available technology solutions. “Businesses want to focus on their core competencies and find ways to improve process and implement tool sets that will help enhance - and not hamper - their employee’s ability to get the job done,” he says. There are two areas where IT managers need to excel to protect their roles, argues TetraVX’s James. Those that stay stagnant and can’t leverage the tools and technologies that will help them mature will fall behind a generation in technology lifecycles.” Find a balance “Data analytics and AI are helping managers pull key data in order to make quicker and more educated decisions. “The managers that are completely risk averse are the ones that are going to struggle,” James says. IT managers need to cultivate a mix of stability and innovation, says Tim James, director of global services at cloud-based collaboration firm TetraVX. “You end up with a massive spike in cost, and IT managers are the ones positioned to keep that under control. “You definitely don’t want to have third-party providers working directly with those who aren’t prepared to push back and understand what does or doesn’t make sense,” Oliveira says. “It’s critical for technology managers to align their technology road map with business objectives, otherwise it’s purely a technology project and will gain very little traction within the organization.” Keep an eye on the bottom lineĪlvaro Oliveira, vice president of talent operations at freelance job site Toptal, predicts IT teams will shrink as new technology services emerge, but importantly, he like others points out that those services will still require managers experienced in dealing with vendors. “It’s even better to say that ‘Every technology department is part of business,’” Rai says. Pratyush Rai, CIO of Kaplan Higher Education, echoes this, seeing the popular adage “Every company is a technology company” as a bit off the mark in terms of IT’s true role. “IT managers that understand the business objectives and can effectively architect technical and innovative business solutions to achieve these objectives will be invaluable to organizations going forward.”
“Those IT managers that are solely focused on the technology become commodities that have a greater probability for replacement,” Gerhards says. Those who prioritize tech alone? Not so much.
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IT managers who know how to align with business priorities are in high demand, and they’re something close to layoff-proof, says Charles Gerhards, executive director of the Government Technology Institute at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. And while this necessitates all senior management to learn and use AI, it certainly requires IT managers to broaden their talent and influence within their organizations.” Get hip to business “It’s a matter of the two sides coming closer.
“Developing an effective AI strategy requires the non-technicians to learn and use AI while the technicians learn more about governance, operations, reporting and organizational management - redefining the role of IT managers,” Deniz says. The adoption of artificial intelligence will force IT managers to evolve if they want to stay relevant by creating an effective AI strategy, says Turkmen Deniz, partner at OC&C Strategy Consultants. Here’s how experts and practitioners see the responsibilities of IT managers evolving - and how you can keep relevant in the years ahead.
Those who don’t may find themselves less essential to the business than they might think. To survive these and other changes, IT managers must adapt fast. “If this AI-driven initiative becomes widespread, there will be less need for old-school system administrators and perhaps even CTOs,” she says.
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