The CIO's New Mandate: Redesign Work Itself
InformationWeek, Monday, March 9th, 2026
Automation initiatives are collapsing under the weight of outdated processes. CIOs are being pulled into organizational redesign -- whether they want the role or not.
Back when CIOs were first pushing for a center seat in the C-suite, the division of labor looked different. At that time, the responsibility of reshaping the organization's design wasn't part of the CIO mandate. Now it is. The shift came right after AI catapulted IT ahead -- and just before IT broke down.
"The reality is that IT no longer happens in the IT department," said Frederik Hagstroem, CTO at Emergn, a global technology consultancy. AI is not the reason, he added, "but it does accelerate the need for rethinking or rebooting the work operating system."
Beleaguered IT leaders are never looking for more things to do. However, one task can lead to another, even if that wasn't initially the plan. And when new technology shines a light on current issues, the to-do list lengthens.