Reimagining Operating Models: Utilising IT and Automated AI to Unlock Scalable Performance
At the recent ADAPT CIO Edge conference in Sydney, FUJIFILM Business Innovation Australia had the privilege of sponsoring and facilitating a roundtable on the theme: “Reimagining Operating Models: Utilising IT and Automated AI to Unlock Scalable Performance.”
For CIOs under pressure to scale operations, improve productivity, and drive innovation, reimagining operating models is no longer an abstract exercise. It is a pressing challenge. Yet, as the roundtable revealed, it means very different things to different organisations.
Moving Beyond Stability to Value Creation
Several CIO Edge attendees reflected on the need to move away from operating models designed purely for stability—models that can inadvertently slow down the pace of change. One participant highlighted the shift from viewing IT as a cost centre to positioning it as a driver of value creation, requiring new skills, closer collaboration, and a stronger fusion between business and technology teams.
This is increasingly visible in functions like finance, where teams are becoming more technical; not just consumers of IT, but active participants in design, build, and implementation. The group agreed: the future is a blend of people and technology, and AI is accelerating the pace of that change.
Striking the Balance: Control vs. Freedom
Automation sparked lively debate. On one hand, business units are eager to leverage new tools to drive faster outcomes. On the other, attendees expressed concern about data security, fragmented platforms, and uncontrolled “shadow IT.”
The consensus: success lies in finding a middle ground. Organisations must provide guardrails that empower teams to innovate securely, while ensuring central IT retains accountability for governance, risk, and compliance.
Change Management at the Core
The discussion reinforced that technology alone doesn’t reimagine an operating model, people do. One CIO Edge participant remarked that “80% of reimagining operating models is about change management.”
Consolidating technology stacks and centralising services must go hand-in-hand with enabling democratised development, so that employees can use their own tools without compromising security or compliance.
Other attendees shared that encouraging self-service, supported by IT-provided guardrails, is helping reduce shadow IT while fostering co-innovation and co-design across their organisations.
From Vendor Sprawl to Value
Another common challenge raised was vendor sprawl, with the same providers embedded across multiple departments in disconnected ways. Attendees stressed the importance of consolidating vendors, streamlining platforms, and designing operating models around business outcomes rather than silos.
One CIO summarised it well: before applying AI or automation, organisations must first ask, “Is this process fit for purpose?” Simplification often delivers as much value as automation itself.
A Cultural and Ownership Challenge
Across the conversation, a clear theme emerged: culture and accountability are at the heart of successful transformation. Many CIOs shared difficulties in defining ultimate ownership of operating models—financial, risk, or delivery. Without clear accountability, progress stalls.
Participants also debated whether operating models should lead technology decisions or follow them. The agreement: human behaviours and organisational structures often drive technology adoption, not the other way around.
Building Towards Outcomes
CIOs are increasingly thinking in terms of business-aligned product sets, bundling capabilities across customer, supply chain, and sales functions to create shared platforms that deliver measurable results.
Ultimately, CIOs agreed their role is to stay tightly tied to business outcomes. As one participant put it: “We’re doing things to grow the business, delivering results faster, simplifying processes, and enabling growth.”
Looking Ahead
The roundtable made clear that reimagining operating models is a multidimensional challenge: it is about people, culture, and accountability just as much as automation, AI, and IT ecosystems.
At FUJIFILM Business Innovation Australia, we work with organisations to navigate this complexity—helping leaders consolidate platforms, embed AI-driven automation, and build intelligent IT foundations that scale securely while enabling innovation.
Let’s reimagine your operating model.
Discover how FUJIFILM Business Innovation Australia can help your organisation unlock scalable, secure, and productive operations.