Council IT professionals are restricting themselves to roles which are being diminished by the de-skilling of technology, the Society of IT Management has warned. A survey of 76 public sector organisations by SOCITM found many IT managers did not take advantage of more senior roles. Chief technical officers, for example, can move up to being chief information officers within a council, but many do not take this opportunity. Report author Chris Head said: ‘Being a chief information officer is primarily about being an agent of business change. ‘It means having a vision of the future and the ability to translate this into both business and ICT strategies. This can be difficult for people immersed in the technical infrastructure, not least because of the perceptions others have of them.' The report defined chief information officers as ‘digitally literate leaders who understand fully the operational environment in which their organisation works', whereas chief technical officers managed the ‘technical infrastructure and software in order to deliver an economical, efficient and effective ICT service within their organisation.' To find out more, go to www.socitm.gov.uk.
