CIOs say Disney’s MagicBand has Unlocked a ‘Whole New World’
Like many children and a good number of adults will tell you, my first trip to Disney World was life-changing. A ride through the chasms of It’s a Small World was the most rewarding experience I could possibly imagine. I must say, today’s Disney World experience is beyond magical. But it’s not a wand, rather a wrist band that offers park guests an unmatched level of personalisation.
Disney’s MagicBand is an innovative device that Matt Eclavea, Former VP of Technology for the Sacramento Kings says has redefined the customer experience. At the recent GDS Group CIO Summit, Eclavea explained how fans’ rising expectations for personalisation are pushing CIOs to do more with technology. IT executives are being called upon to act as innovators, if not magicians, within their organisations.
“IT is traditionally a closed vertical department…today it’s about integrating teams”
The Golden1 Center, home of the Sacramento Kings, uses cutting-edge technology to anticipate and respond to fans on a hyper-individualised basis. “[The arena] is a smart building that checks-in to you, versus the other way around,” Eclavea explained. The development and maintenance of next-level infrastructures like the Golden1 Center involve extensive inter-team collaboration. Like Eclavea, many CIOs are learning how to be more adaptive. As legacy businesses morph into data-centric businesses, so too must the individuals in leadership. The challenge of bringing teams together is easier said than done. “IT is traditionally a closed vertical department,” Eclavea pointed out, “but today it’s about integrating teams”.
We know that industry and cultural shifts are underway, so how exactly does the new CIO successfully navigate these changes? Stephen Nunn, Global Vice President, Cloud & Infrastructure Services at UNISYS identifies digital transformation as a seamless network of infrastructure, application platforms & data analytics. To prepare teams for the unavoidable ‘digital disruptors’ ahead, Nunn recommends creating a “Center of Excellence” within your organizations. At the GDS Group CIO Summit, he urged executives to demonstrate their commitment to innovation by fostering employee development and mentorship. These initiatives help businesses and individuals learn to adapt to change quickly
Willingly or not, CIOs are in the business of collaboration. “It’s about the small wins” says Sarah Fahden, Associate Chief of Verification Program for USCI. “We must act as ‘cultural change makers’ by facilitating an environmental for data transformation to take place”. Although their specific challenges may differ, Fahden and Eclavea have a similar goal: to lead teams that are willing to take a more innovative approach.
CIOs are in the business of collaboration.
Managing a team of innovators takes a new type of leadership. “We as technologists have to do more” says Sam Jebeli-Javan, Vice President of Product Management at Citi Group. For Jebeli-Javan, being agile is a process of continual problem-solving. His number one lesson: “Fail small and quick. Failure is a success; that’s the beauty of [being] agile.” CIOs are uniquely positioned to fail and learn from their mistakes. Every set-back is an opportunity for innovation.
Unbeknown to customers both young and old, the one-of-a-kind experiences made possible by innovations like Disney’s MagicBand and the Golden1 Center are the product of newly emerging technologies and highly adaptive leadership teams. One of the many hats worn by today’s CIOs is surely that of a sorcerer.
Read additional CIO content from GDS Group in Sasha Qadri’s recent article, exploring artificial intelligence and machine learning integration. If you’re interested in attending or learning more about the 2017 CIO Summit visit the summit website for details.
