business executives should hire a chief creative officer to take information technology back to innovationist status

2009 – what are the key strategies I hear on a daily basis?  Recession.  World Crisis. Stock prices. Customer Retention. Customer Acquisition. Customer Loyalty. Innovation, Innovation, Innovation.

For the past 20 years, Information Technology professionals had their place.  Their existence was to serve the business by building the monolithic systems that would allow businesses to operate more efficiently.  “Business Automation” has been their focus for the past 20 years.

The recession of 2009 is unlike any recessions our country has ever experienced.  The economic impact of the global economy makes survivability much more difficult.  Rest assured, somewhere out in the global economy lurks a competitor who has ambitious goals during this recession.  They are investing.  They are creating innovative business models.  They are innovating.  They are executing a plan to take market share once the economy rebounds.  This unknown competitor could be anywhere in the world.  The only competitive strategy is to innovate.

True innovation requires serious creative minds. In 2009, “Business Automation” will, and already is, giving way to “Business Innovation”.

Process, analysis, and methodologies have been the creed of the executives running the Information Technology organizations.  In contrast, Creatives thrive, and frankly the good ones will only work in, cultures void of process and methodologies.

Is Information Technology and their processes and methodologies as we know it today bad?  Frankly that’s what information technology as an industry needed over the past 20 years.  Think about it, in my lifetime I’ve witnessed both the birth and maturity of the IT industry.

Now enter 2009.  In the new global economy, innovation is not only a key phase, it’s a survivability necessity.  Lets face it, technology is one of the key primary enablers for ground breaking innovation. But remember, technology is only an “enabler”.  Now, Business Automation is only a tactic for  competitive parity. True innovation requires the “big ideas” on how to use technology to work to business advantage. Big ideas require the true creative thinker.  A visionary.  A Chief Creative Officer.

Why do companies like IDEO continue to provide ground breaking ideas for their clients?  Why is the iPhone so popular?  It achieved by having a creative genius leading their respective organizations to innovative brilliance.  For more proof of the theory, look at the changes being made in the ivy league higher education design departments.  Enrollment is up.  Big changes to the curriculum are being made.  Reason?  Progressive CEOs are telling these schools that design-centered skills are going to be in high demand as the CEO’s see these skills fundamental to solving key business challenges in the years to come.

In summary for Information Technology to be relevant in 2009 and beyond, the creative mindset is going to be required.  Oh, and by the way, introducing a Chief Creative Officer into the fold is probably going to require some serious expenditures with change management consulting.  Its going to be a doozy of a culture change.

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