“Enterprise architects of the world, unite! You have companies to change and a world to win” — oh, sorry, that’s some bearded guy on a soapbox. Seriously, though, let’s try to answer the question: can you really do Enterprise Architecture at the organization whose name is on your paycheck? And if you can’t — how do you change that?

The IT leadership role has changed dramatically since the title "chief information officer" was initially coined in the late 1980s. The CIO's portfolio of responsibilities must keep pace with the rising intrinsic economic value of information. As executive recruiters and human capital strategy consultants, we at Korn/Ferry International have enjoyed a privileged vantage of the resulting evolutionary pressures affecting CIOs in leading organizations across a broad spectrum of industries.