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Editors’ Picks: Best of 2016 Smarter With Gartner

Our favorite articles from 2016 ranged from blockchain to augmented reality and busting bimodal myths.

Read more: Top 10 Smarter With Gartner Articles in 2016

Below are the editors’ favorite Smarter With Gartner articles from 2016.

McCall

The CIO’s Guide to Blockchain

Blockchain has gotten so much hype in 2016 that it has been difficult to understand what it is, and what the true benefits are for enterprises and industries.  In this article, Gartner analysts Ray Valdes and David Furlonger provide a reality check on blockchain, and how CIOs should approach it moving forward.

Busting Bimodal Myths

CIOs need to implement both traditional and agile IT modes in their organizations to be able to innovate in digital business. Gartner analysts have said a bimodal approach enables leaders to manage two separate, but coherent, styles of work: one focused on predictability and the other on exploration. However, these analysts see myths emerging that are complicating the execution of bimodal initiatives for some organizations. In this article, Gartner analyst Simon Mingay, research vice president, highlights and dispels some of the myths.

Panetta

The Art of Saying No

Event sessions by Tina Nunno, vice president and Gartner Fellow, are always full of practical advice for CIOs, which makes for interesting conversations.  In this session at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2016, Tina’s basic message was: ‘At some point you’re going to have to say no to people, and here is the best way to do it and walk away unscathed.” This valuable information applies to any role in any industry. As a bonus, our design team created a useful flow chart that plots the various ways to say no to someone with more power.

Ecosystems Drive Digital GrowthSmith

The 2017 CIO Agenda Report: Seize the Digital Ecosystem Opportunity provides valuable insight on the top priorities and initiatives by thousands of CIOs around the world. To explain the overall concept that companies need to invest in ecosystems to stay competitive, vice president and research director Andy Rowsell-Jones shares how Danske Bank, NCC Industry and Deakin University created ecosystems to grow. A companion infographic provides a simplified view of the key research findings.

Analyst Answers: The CIO’s Biggest Digital Transformation

Gartner analysts have a variety of insights into how organizations are building digital business and the biggest challenges and opportunities for CIOs. This article showcased their knowledge ahead of event sessions at Gartner 2016 Symposium/ITxpo.

CIO Futures: Executive Relationships in 2030

CIOs are very focused on the future and technology, and this research looked into what the position could look like in 2030. Ansgar Schulte, research director, shares how the role has evolved from service provider to C-suite member and how it will continue to evolve for the next 15 years.
Levy

The 5 Most Effective, Least-Used Digital Innovation Hacks

The Gartner 2016 CIO  Agenda Survey contained a fascinating research finding— the top five key innovation practices to deliver the highest improvement in digital performance were also the least used by CIOs. This interactive tool brings to life how to implement initiatives such as crowdsourcing and working with startups in the next day, month or year.

Why a No-Cloud Policy Will Become Extinct

This article on cloud strategy with vice president and Gartner Fellow David Mitchell Smith was one of our top-performing articles during the month it published. While the panda bear banner image may have contributed to the traffic, cloud is a topic that transcends roles and industries. IT leaders continue to shape how their enterprises approach cloud and took note of Gartner’s prediction that “By 2020, a corporate ‘no-cloud’ policy will be as rare as a ‘no-internet’ policy is today.”Raskino

10 Management Techniques From Born-Digital Companies

For traditional companies worried that they’ll never catch up with startups’ technology or culture, Mark Raskino’s list of born-digital techniques provides a playbook for how to harness digital mindset and practices in the areas of business, risk management and resources. His advice: “You’ve got to copy them because, in the end, the techniques they’ve got are very powerful. What they’re doing is not rocket science — it’s about leading different and thinking differently.”

Why IT Leaders Should Pay Attention to Augmented Reality

By mid-summer 2016, who hadn’t played or heard of Pokemon Go? Gartner research vice president Brian Blau explored why CIOs would start to pay attention (again) to augmented reality (AR) for business use cases such as equipment maintenance, warehouse environments, and automatic sign translation. David Cearley, vice president, Gartner, noted that, “Through 2021, businesses will see a rapid evolution of immersive content and applications that will range from consumer entertainment experiences to optimizing complex work processes.”

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