CIOs are being asked by theboardroom to change the way the
business operates to help it through the economic downturn.
In a survey of 100 CIOs, carried out by IT manager forum CIO
Connect, 62 said board members were turning to them for leadership
in the current economic climate.
The combination of technology expertise and an understanding of
business processes and strategy are key attributes in helping CIOs
make it into the top tier of management.
The number of CIOs at the top of the
business
has increased in recent years. One in five CIOs are now at
board-level, said the survey.
CIOs now spend more time working on non-IT duties. These
include formal and informal discussions with the top executives.
These discussions are about business strategy, transformational
change proposals, issues of business profitability, as well as
project briefings and programme status updates.
Nick Kirkland, CEO at CIO Connect, said CIOs are increasingly
taking a leadership role in driving business change. He said they
are well positioned to interpret how their organisation best
addresses the complexities of an economic downturn. "The role is
pivotal, and no more so than today with so much business
turbulence," added Kirkland.
Over the next year 70% of CIOs will focus on increased value and
45% will also put cost containment at the top of their agenda. A
total of 40% of all CIOs expect their budget to remain unchanged in
2009. Another 30% expect an increase, while 30% plan a cut.