Gartner Reveals How to Become ’The Machiavellian CIO’

CIOs are often under attack due to IT system failures or other circumstances that are beyond the control of the CIO, and if the CIO cannot prevent and fight off attacks successfully, they can face serious repercussions, according to Gartner, Inc.

In the e-book “The Wolf in CIO’s Clothing: A Machiavellian Strategy for Successful IT Leadership” launched this week, Tina Nunno, vice president and Gartner fellow, reveals how CIOs and IT leaders can adapt their leadership styles in extreme situations for their own success and that of their teams.

Ms. Nunno is discussing some of the key findings from the book at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo, which is being held here through October 10. The book is based on Ms. Nunno’s research with CIOs and their mutual admiration for Niccolo Machiavelli, a fifteenth-century Italian political philosopher.

“Business is a hotbed for conflict, and CIOs often find themselves at the center. As Machiavelli implied, you’re either predator or prey, and the animal you most resemble determines your position on the food chain,” said Ms. Nunno. When a CIO is in a “dark-side” enterprise or in a situation where a colleague is using dark-side tactics, then normal management techniques will not work. In these situations, Nunno suggests CIOs consider using dark-side Machiavellian tactics to defend themselves and then succeed.

“The career of a CIO has many analogies to the life of Machiavelli. CIOs are often in favor with senior leadership, and at other times they are not. While falling out of favor is, at times, deserved due to failure to deliver IT solutions, at other times CIOs are falsely accused of failure or targeted for other reasons. The Wolf — a social animal with strong predatory instincts — is an ideal example of how a CIO, or any leader, can adapt and thrive.”

Ms. Nunno took Machiavelli’s lessons and boiled them down into three disciplines she believes matter most to CIOs. “CIOs have to master power, manipulation and warfare. They should get comfortable using power and growing it, manipulating and sometimes dealing with issues of honesty or stealth or lack thereof and running disciplined warfare like campaigns that use every weapon in their arsenal to get large groups of people on board,” said Ms. Nunno.

Machiavellian CIO novices often focus exclusively on Machiavelli’s much-publicized power tactics to gain and maintain their positions. “CIOs must become comfortable with the idea of power, gathering it, and using it wisely as it is an essential leadership tool,” said Ms. Nunno. Power is often the most expedient way to get things done, but Machiavelli acknowledged its limitations.

“The use of power often results in significant collateral damage or is often of little use in the face of a more powerful opponent, or in the case of an irrational or deceitful opponent,” said Ms. Nunno. "In such cases, the leader must resort to craft, subterfuge and more subtle tactics to achieve success, ideally without alerting the opponent of the countermeasures. CIOs are regularly confronted with opponents more powerful than they, or those who they would consider less than completely honest or rational. As a result, CIOs must also master the discipline of manipulation.

When CIOs follow traditional IT management advice and best practices, they often become more vulnerable to the manipulation of others, rather than less vulnerable. At a minimum, Gartner says that effective CIOs must anticipate manipulative behavior, and take appropriate steps to evade or defend against it. Ideally, leading CIOs should consider manipulation techniques to help advance the IT agenda and increase their contribution to the enterprise.

Once CIOs have mastered these two Machiavellian-inspired disciplines, then they can master warfare. Warfare is the ability to take power and manipulation and scale them up to mass proportions. Many CIO initiatives resemble warfare, including centralization initiatives, business process changes, cost reduction programs, and mergers and acquisitions. The CIO’s ability to succeed is directly related to the ability to get large groups of people to go in the same direction at the same time in conflict-ridden situations.

“I tend to think it is always a good time for Machiavelli, but now is a particularly good time considering the tremendous pressure on CIOs, with opportunities and threats coming from so many different parts of the organization,” said Ms. Nunno. “Machiavellians know there is no safe middle ground in leadership. By going to extremes, a wolf CIO can help bring a dark enterprise to the light side.”

The e-book, “The Wolf in CIO’s Clothing: A Machiavellian Strategy for Successful IT Leadership” is available on Amazon and Apple’s iBooks. For other books by Gartner analysts, please visit www.gartner.com/books.


About Gartner Symposium/ITxpo

Gartner Symposium/ITxpo is the world’s most important gathering of CIOs and senior IT executives. This event delivers independent and objective content with the authority and weight of the world’s leading IT research and advisory organization, and provides access to the latest solutions from key technology providers. Gartner’s annual Symposium/ITxpo events are key components of attendees’ annual planning efforts. IT executives rely on Gartner Symposium/ITxpo to gain insight into how their organizations can use IT to address business challenges and improve operational efficiency.

Additional information about Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in Orlando, is available at www.gartner.com/symposium/us. Video replays of keynotes and sessions are available on Gartner Events on Demand at www.gartnerondemand.com. Follow news, photos and video coming from Gartner Symposium/ITxpo on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/GartnerSymposium, and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Gartner_inc and using #GartnerSym.

Upcoming dates and locations for Gartner Symposium/ITxpo include:

October 15-17, Tokyo, Japan: www.gartner.com/jp/symposium

October 21-24, Goa, India: www.gartner.com/in/symposium

October 28-31, Gold Coast, Australia: www.gartner.com/au/symposium

November 4-7, Sao Paulo, Brazil: www.gartner.com/br/symposium

November 10-14, Barcelona, Spain: www.gartner.com/eu/symposium



About Gartner

Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is the valuable partner in over 13,000 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 5,800 associates, including 1,450 research analysts and consultants, and clients in 85 countries. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.