What if the company that was going to put you out of business doesn’t yet exist? Or what if it does exist, but it operates in an entirely different industry?

What if your biggest threat isn’t incremental evolution of known competitors, but rather dramatic change?

How would you behave differently? What would be your new expectations of technology?

I don’t mean alignment. Of course, your IT investments need to align with corporate goals. That’s just table stakes. It’s essential to competing in the industry you know.

But what about the unknown? Will alignment save you from the startup that sees things differently, or the well-funded behemoth that makes a move?

Technology creates a level playing field in a myriad of ways. It lowers the cost of entry, the cost of expansion, the cost of experimentation, and the cost of change. It destabilizes.

Every industry, including yours, will have its Uber/Netflix revolution. The race you’re running won’t follow the course you expect, and someone in the crowd is as likely to win (using a hot air balloon) as one of the other runners.

Will your CIO lead this revolution?

Or will your intern?