How Newly Appointed CIOs Take Charge

Based on in-depth interviews with 21 CIOs, the full article explores the process of how CIOs take charge of a new appointment. Taking charge is the process of learning and taking action to the point where an executive has mastered the new assignment in sufficient depth so he or she can run the sphere of responsibility effectively, given the constraints and available resources. We identified three overlapping phases of the CIO taking charge process: Entry, Stabilization and Renewal. We also found the organizational situation encountered by a new CIO significantly influences the process. Specifically, four CIO transition types—start-up, turnaround, realignment and success sustaining—determine the degree of change required. All CIOs experienced an Entry phase of four to six months. The Stabilization phase began shortly after the CIO started the role and lasted between nine and 12 months. The Renewal phase commenced approximately six months into an appointment and overlapped the Stabilization phase. The Stabilization phase focused on the CIO’s supply-side leadership and the Renewal phase on demand-side leadership.