The CIO’s Influence in the Business Is Growing

The CIO’s Influence in the Business Is Growing

The CIO’s Influence in the Business Is Growing

IT leaders are becoming change instigators and business co-creators in their companies, and are in a good position to influence and support digital initiatives.

Net Gain

41% of CIOs and other tech leaders surveyed said their IT budget has increased by at least 5% in the last financial year, while 21% said it declined by at least 5%.

Majority Share

On average, CIOs and other technology leaders said they control 77% of the tech budget.

Top Emerging Tech Investment Targets

Cognitive technology: 64%, Internet of things: 61%, Robotic process automation: 43%

Multiple Hats

55% of the CIOs and other tech leaders consider themselves “trusted operators,” and 45% consider themselves “change instigators” or “business co-creators.”

Versatile Asset

56% of the respondents have held leadership roles outside of IT, with 42% of them holding these roles in a business or geographic unit.

Talent Assessment

68% said they’d rate their IT department’s business acumen as no less than “above average,” and 18% rate their tech staffers as leading class for business acumen.

Business Expectations of IT Leaders

Improve business processes: 70%, Reduce costs and increase efficiencies: 67%, Maintain IT systems: 66%, Manage cyber-security: 61%, Support business innovation: 57%

Market Perspective

57% of survey respondents said they are keenly focused on customers, while 49% said they prioritize growth.

Characteristics of Successful IT Leaders

Technology vision: 71%, Ability to influence internal stakeholders: 64%, Strong communications skills: 57%, Ability to attract and retain talent: 48%, Ability to communicate the financial impact of IT: 45%

Employment Shift

Survey respondents said 74% of their IT staff works full time, but this should decline to 71% within two years.

Most Desired Tech Skill Areas for Recruitment

Analytics: 65%, Customer and digital experience: 52%, Program management: 44%, Cloud and distributed systems: 43%, Systems and enterprise architecture: 41%