Achieving operational excellence while deploying innovative technologies is not an either/or proposition as far as Christian Mate is concerned. Both are critical for meeting the responsibilities of the job of CIO, which requires the staid mantra of “keep the lights on” while concentrating on the more exciting innovating for growth, he says.
“To some extent, folks expect IT to be there like a dial tone when you pick up a phone,” or, “the referee at a football game, but no one noticed you,” says Mate, CIO of home health provider Elara Caring.
