CIOs from some of Houston’s largest organizations gathered virtually to discuss some of the biggest challenges they’re facing in the age of COVID-19. Now more than 30 days into managing remote workforces and with no clear return-to-the-office date, the group had plenty to share around organizational response to the crisis, how they’re leading teams from afar and what the future implications of this shift in work might look like.

Ahead of this virtual town hall, Houston CIOs took part in a survey about the business implications brought on by the pandemic, which revealed the following:

41% are continuing standard business operations at a reduced level

54% expect to return to normal business operations in less than 3 months 

49% report a significant impact on their organization’s revenue

49% predict a significant impact on their organization’s budget

The conversation was led by Jennifer Hartsock, VP & CIO at Baker Hughes; Laura Tibodeau, CIO at Americas Styrenics; Allen Wuescher, VP & CIO of Toshiba International; and Sudhakar Virupakshi, VP, IT & CIO at Par Pacific Holdings. Each panelist’s unique experience and outlook made for an honest and compelling conversation about leading an organization through unprecedented times.

There is no “one size fits all” for the future

Everyone is anxious to know what the future will look like post-COVID, but no one really has the answer yet. Without precedent to draw upon, the one thing CIOs can count on in the future is the need for flexibility and adaptability, through both further investment in the right collaboration tools and a cultural change in the way people approach the nature of work.

Overnight, these companies went from strict in-office and in-person cultures to being almost entirely remote. This shift didn’t come without its challenges, but for the most part, CIOs were able to accelerate planned collaboration tool upgrades and ship new solutions to end users in a matter of days. One CIO who was running a pilot of Microsoft Teams before the pandemic, pivoted from pilot-mode to full scale rollout in only 24 hours, onboarding more than 11,000 total users. 

So far, the increased adoption of collaboration tools has had a positive impact on overall productivity, and the panel agreed that this trend will likely continue once workers return to offices.

Credit where it’s due

Stress is high and change is constant, so Houston CIOs are taking time to recognize and praise the hard work of their teams, the rapid adoption of new tools, and the spike in productivity.

It’s important to become more assertive in communicating what your team is doing. Recognition for the team is critical.

Across the board, executive leadership teams have increased not only the number of touchpoints they have with employees, but the nature of those conversations. Employee wellbeing and peace of mind continue to be a top priority and recognizing the challenges and achievements of individuals – allowing them the space and time they need while working from home – contributes to a culture of trust that drives continued productivity.

A new appetite for tech

The panelists agreed that there are some silver linings among the changes brought on by this pandemic. This time has provided CIOs and their teams a unique opportunity to rethink old problems and push through solutions that were always on the backburner. Technology leaders are seeing a greater appetite for digital offerings and accelerating those journeys.

Digital work quickly became an imperative, with even the most resistant employees suddenly embracing new tools to automate outdated processes, and collaboration tools are bringing teams closer together than ever before. Change management is always a barrier to transformation, but this newfound enthusiasm for technology points toward faster adoption in the future.

Even security concerns afford an opportunity to take a proactive approach to managing threats. As bad actors become even more persistent, these leaders are finding that regular and consistent communications from senior leaders in the company have kept employees on alert while still offering them the flexibility they need to stay productive.

IT is not a back-office function

Senior leaders in every part of the business have begun to understand that IT is a fundamental investment – one that can create change and improve communication for future initiatives.

It used to be that CIOs wanted a seat at the table. Now, they not only have a seat, but a voice and an influence.

As the business continues to adapt and change in response to COVID-19, it will be the role of the CIO to carry the banner of transformation. The speed at which businesses are adopting new technology doesn’t have to slow as operations return to “normal.” It’s an exciting and transformational road ahead. 

by CIOs, for CIOs

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