Why Technologists Lead Transformation
By Ken Spangler, Adjunct Faculty, Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy
One of the biggest misconceptions in business today is that technology leaders are just narrow “domain experts.” That might have been more true decades ago, when IT was mostly about enabling capabilities and keeping systems up and running. But in today’s world, technology is the business–and that requires technologists to develop broad business and technology expertise that enables them to be uniquely positioned for leading transformation.
Transformation Is the Job
Leading technology today involves much more than just managing systems, networks and tools. You lead and manage change. You drive transformation.
I often say that technology leaders must major in change. Every initiative, every investment, every project is an opportunity to reimagine how the business operates. That’s not a side responsibility–it’s the core of the role.
Seeing the Whole Enterprise
Technologists also have a unique vantage point: they see across the entire organization.
When you’re leading technology in the digital era, you gain insight into every function–from finance to operations to customer experience. That broad perspective equips you to connect the dots, spot opportunities, and bring advanced solutions to bear that a single business unit may not be able to see on their own.
In short: technology leaders don’t just touch the business. They understand it deeply.
Clarity, Simplification, and Execution
Transformation requires more than vision. It requires clarity and simplification. The best technology leaders must be able to take complex challenges and make them simple, understandable, and actionable.
And most importantly, they don’t stop at strategy. They execute. They inspire passion to act. They rally the organization to not just plan for the future but to deliver it.
Final Thought
Technologists are no longer back-office operators. They are front-line transformation leaders.
If you’re in technology leadership today, don’t shrink your role to systems and infrastructure. Step up, and partner broadly to lead the enterprise forward. Because in this era, business is the technology–and technology is the business.
Ken Spangler is the former Executive Vice President & CIO of FedEx Global Operations Technology, where he led large-scale technology transformations and enterprise innovation across one of the world’s most complex logistics networks. The only executive to serve as CIO for each of FedEx’s major operating companies, Ken spearheaded global initiatives in AI, IT strategy, and enterprise business agility. Now an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University, he brings more than 37 years of executive technology leadership to the classroom, helping the next generation of digital leaders align innovation with strategic impact.
Learn from leaders like Ken Spangler in the Chief Information and Digital Officer (CIDO) Executive Education Program at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College.