VIDEO | William & Mary CTO: Innovation Is Not Exclusive to IT

(US and Canada) Corinne Picataggi, Chief Technology Officer, The College of William & Mary, speaks with Denise Verdicchio, SHI International SVP and President of Public Sector Sales, in a video interview about key factors of incorporating new technologies, elevating technology aptitude, and creating a culture of innovation.

Speaking on key factors to incorporate new technologies into processes and systems, Picataggi encourages technology leaders to figure out ways to meet user needs while protecting the integrity of their technology and data assets. She points out that they do not have to develop internal expertise in every technology domain, discipline, or solution as a lot of the expertise is available externally.

Picataggi goes on to say that it is the leaders’ responsibility to elevate the technology aptitude of their organization. She defines aptitude as the combination of skills, experience, and ability to evolve with change.

Further, Picataggi explains that an improved technology aptitude decreases the time to deploy and adopt solutions. This can, in turn, foster the next generation of ideas, improve research analytics, and help people understand the impacts of their work, she adds.

Speaking on the people aspect, Picataggi stresses that leaders cannot put people in positions where they cannot be successful. She suggests that leaders leverage external expertise and level up internally so that the users are equipped to start functioning with the technology at a higher level.

When asked about how organizations create a culture of innovation, Picataggi states that innovation cannot be exclusive to the IT organization. Instead, she emphasizes that IT needs functional partnerships with other stakeholders to innovate the business and realize change.

Picataggi explains that business stakeholders understand their work better, so a part of the IT leader’s job is to foster and support the business' innovation and enable such a culture shift.

CDO Magazine thanks Corinne Picataggi for contributing her thought leadership to our global community.

See more from Corinne Picataggi

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