Arthur Langer, Chariman and Founder of Workforce Opportunity Services

Episode Overview

• How the CIO role is evolving with the expectation to become more strategic in ways technology can be utilized to drive the business, and not just “keeping the lights on”
• How, as IT’s role evolves, it will become more important to be able to articulate complex technical concerns quickly and in business terms, facilitate a greater degree of collaboration with the business, and improve understanding of the business environment
• How IT can be categorized as drivers and support, where drivers consist of strategic pieces inherent to the business that make it competitive, and where support operations are judged primarily on efficiency and effectiveness, with support operations being the target for outsourcing
• The origins of Art’s organization, and how he helps major corporations fulfill needs that they have been unable to accomplish through offshore outsourcing (e.g., quality assurance, help desk services, etc.) by providing a supply of young talent in a cost efficient manner
• The process by which Art’s organization supplies talent, which includes creating partnerships with universities in areas where companies have needs, recruiting talent, and designing a curriculum for training within a short time frame
• Eye on Trends: The increased role of IT as technology becomes the largest variable of competitive advantage

Arthur Langer’s Biography

Dr. Arthur Langer is the Academic Director of the Executive Masters of Science in Technology Management programs at Columbia University. He serves on multiple faculties at Columbia University, including the Graduate School of Business, the Department of Organization and Leadership at the Graduate School of Education (Teachers College) and the School of Continuing Education.

Arthur is also the Senior Director of the Center for Technology, Innovation, and Community Engagement at Columbia University’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science.  Art’s practice and research involves technology leadership, workforce development, adult mentoring programs, workplace learning, adult education, intellectual development and transformative learning. Art is also the Chairman and Founder of Workforce Opportunity Services (www.wforce.org), a nonprofit social venture that provides scholarships and careers to underserved populations around the world.

Arthur holds a B.S. in Computer Science, an M.B.A. in Accounting/Finance, and a Doctorate of Education from Columbia University.

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