IT is failing to help businesses gain a competitive edge, the
latest survey from McKinsey's third annual survey has found.
The
survey of CIOs and CTOs found that respondents were making
trade-offs
reducing IT operating expenses so they could maintain
high-priority new investments that support broader business goals,
such as improved salesforce or supply chain management. Of the 548
respondents, 42% said business strategy was developed without input
from IT, while 15% admitted IT strategies were not linked to
business strategies.
A total of 57% of IT heads believed IT contribution to the
business could be improved if staff were given better training.
To serve business goals better, McKinsey recommended that the IT
department develop stronger managers. This will require training,
and perhaps the seeding of
IT management ranks by hiring externally or rotating highly
regarded non-IT managers from other parts of the business.