As organizations are evolving in their digital transformations, we see a great deal of pride in the ability to not only adapt to the new digital world, but to innovate new solutions as well. There was a time in business when IT professionals were shoved into a basement office or a corner only to emerge into the light of day when someone’s email was not working or their computer “froze up.” But now, there is an expectation of everyone in the workplace that they possess at least a small amount of IT acumen. The IT department has grown beyond the confines of its formerly hidden-away presence into all facets of an organization. Today, we even have IT representation within senior leadership teams and as board members. The bottom line is that, as a society, we have accepted that IT not only enables business, but is essential to its survival, growth and innovation.
Although we have accepted, adopted and even embraced this new way of thinking and working when it comes to technology, we are still trying to make this new digital world fit into a business practice that is almost ancient in comparison. I am referring to the traditional organizational structure. Before you grab your pitchforks and torches to chase me out of town, let me explain my thinking.
It Takes an IT Village
Recently, I saw a headline from a well-known tech journal that read, “How the Search for the Next Steve Jobs Is Ruining Silicon Valley.”1 The article goes into a description of how Steve Jobs represented a shift in how we use tech every day but, as with most chief executive officers (CEOs), he had very little to do with the actual development and innovation behind the products that changed the world, specifically the iPhone. But, as with most emerging technologies, the iPhone was neither the first, nor necessarily the best, at the time. Apple had a top-notch marketing team that was able to push a well-crafted narrative to the masses. Judging by some of his critics and employees at the time, the argument could be made that one of the most innovative aspects of the iPhone, third-party application (app) availability, was actually limited by Steve Jobs himself.2 My point here is that while CEOs and C-suite-level executives are considered the faces of an organization, it takes the employees involved to truly create something special and innovative, and giving credit to one man or woman is reductive of those efforts. And, as we have seen with social media, CEOs tend to get their organizations in hot water more often than not these days, as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos shoot for the stars—literally and figuratively.
Looking for Better Business Practices
The current top US consumer group, Millennials, has been chastised by current establishments and pundits for focusing more on the true actions of an organization as opposed to consumerization. Terms such as “virtue signaling” and “cancel culture” are thrown around all too easily in place of examining why consumers may simply demand that organizations do better by boycotting those whose policies and practices do not match up with societal goals. In the US, Generation Z4 is projected by one study to surpass Millennials as the largest consumer group by 2026, and this new generation of consumers is even more interested in the social conscience and, dare I say, “soul” of an organization and its business practices.5
Further, study after study shows that more diverse teams in all demographics is more productive and creates more innovative solutions to problems.6 However, time and again we see executive leadership lacking in diversity. One study of board members within US enterprises found that the average age is 52; 80 percent are white, non-Hispanic members; and more than half of board members are men.7 Within cybersecurity work roles alone, we have seen huge disparities by gender in the workforce over the past five years, according to ISACA’s State of Cybersecurity 2020 report.8
Emerging Thought Processes
I have pointed out some of the problems. There is, perhaps, nothing new or particularly shocking here. However, I do want to make the argument that, especially in the tech industry, where we are evolving digitally by leaps and bounds every day, it might be worth looking at all aspects of our businesses and investigating what can be improved. For example, with improvements in artificial intelligence (AI), we have made some discoveries about our own biases when it comes to multiple facets of our society, as I have talked about in this column previously.9
Multiple studies show that inclusivity, diversity and different corporate structures improve many aspects of an organization, from employee satisfaction to productivity.10 As technology people, we usually thrive by thinking outside of the box and trying new approaches to solve problems. As business and technology continue on their evolutionary trajectories, we should start applying some of the same innovative and emerging thought processes to the business side of the house as well, including whom we think we are searching for in tech leadership. We may discover that they are already here and eager to lead the way.
It takes the employees involved to truly create something special and innovative, and giving credit to one man or woman is reductive of those efforts.
Endnotes
1 Sherr, I.; “How the Search for the Next Steve Jobs Is Ruining Silicon Valley,” CNET, 5 October 2021, https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/how-the-search-for-the-next-steve-jobs-is-ruining-silicon-valley/
2 Dredge, S.; “Steve Jobs Resisted Third-Party Apps on iPhone, Biography Reveals,” The Guardian, 24 October 2011, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/appsblog/2011/oct/24/steve-jobs-apps-iphone
3 Dimock, M.; “Defining Generations: Where Millennials End and Generation Z Begins,” Pew Research Center, 17 January 2019, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/
4 Parker, K.; R. Igielnik; “On the Cusp of Adulthood and Facing an Uncertain Future: What We Know About Gen Z So Far,” Pew Research Center, 14 May 2020, https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/05/14/on-the-cusp-of-adulthood-and-facing-an-uncertain-future-what-we-know-about-gen-z-so-far-2/
5 NCR, “Generation Z Characteristics: What Businesses Should Know About the Next Wave of Consumers,” 10 November 2020, https://www.ncr.com/blogs/generation-z-characteristics-what-businesses-should-know-about-the-next-wave-of-consumers
6 Beilock, S.; “How Diverse Teams Produce Better Outcomes,” Forbes, 4 April 2019, https://www.forbes.com/sites/sianbeilock/2019/04/04/how-diversity-leads-to-better-outcomes/?sh=1f10e72a65ce
7 Zippia, “Board of Directors Member Statistics and Facts in the US,” https://www.zippia.com/board-of-directors-member-jobs/demographics/
8 ISACA®, State of Cybersecurity 2020, USA, 2020, https://www.isaca.org/go/state-of-cybersecurity-2020
9 Brewer, D.; "Intelligence—A Not-So-Mediocre Commodity," ISACA® Journal, vol. 1, 2021, https://www.isaca.org/archives
10 Hope, K.; “No CEO: The Swedish Company Where Nobody Is in Charge,” BBC News, 17 February 2017, https://www.bbc.com/news/business-38928528
Dustin Brewer | CISM, CSX- P, CDPSE, CEH
Is ISACA’s senior director emerging technology and innovation, a role in which he explores and produces content for the ISACA® community on the utilization benefits and possible threats to current infrastructure posed by emerging technologies. He has 17 years of experience in the IT field, beginning with networks, programming and hardware specialization. He excelled in cybersecurity while serving in the US military and, later, as an independent contractor and lead developer for defense contract agencies, he specialized in computer networking security, penetration testing, and training for various US Department of Defense (DoD) and commercial entities. Brewer can be reached at futures@isaca.org.