The Adventures of an IT Leader

The day-to-day challenges faced by the average CIO are not usually the stuff of epic dramaexcept when they are. Enter our hero: Jim Barton, the new CIO of the fictional IVK Corporation. He is the creation of authors Robert Austin, Richard Nolan, and Shannon O’Donnell, and his story gives a practical yet entertaining look at the true adventures of an IT leader.

Based on the authors’ years of first-hand experience with diverse companies, the story begins as the IVK Corporation struggles to recover from a period of slowing growth and falling stock prices. An aggressive new CEO handpicks Barton to be CIOeven though Barton has no background in IT.

We follow Barton’s adventures as he discovers what effective IT management is all about, deals with the everyday challenges of the job, responds to major crises, and remakes the company’s technology capabilities into a vital strategic asset.

Read the book from beginning to end or treat it as a series of case studies; the ways of using this book” section explains which chapters cover which subjects, while the authors' reflection questions help you puzzle through the problems in each episode.

Now fully updated and with a new preface by the authors, The Adventures of an IT Leader is an engaging way to enhance your IT leadership skills.

Robert D. Austin is a professor of innovation and information technology at Ivey Business School.

Richard L. Nolan is the William Barclay Harding Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus at Harvard Business School and emeritus professor at the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Shannon O’Donnell (now Shannon Hessel) is an assistant professor of art, leadership, and entrepreneurship and director of The Studio at Copenhagen Business School.