For the first time in years, ensuring business-IT alignment is not the top concern among leading CIOs, according to new research conducted by the Society for Information Management. Bumping it into second place is the impending IT talent crunch, which SIM says has re-focused CIOs’ attention on retaining and attracting IT professionals.
But according to Jerry Luftman, who led the research for SIM, that’s not the biggest surprise on the top ten list. That distinction goes to the issue of Evolving CIO Leadership.
“This is the first time it has finished in the top ten,” says Luftman.” CIOs are recognizing that they are going through a major transition from one of a more technical role to one that is more of a business management role, and the study substantiates that.
We asked CIOs how they spend their time, and two thirds of it is spent on non-technical issues. Just a few years ago, that number hovered around fifty percent.”
Following the IT talent crunch and business-IT alignment, the following issues placed in the top ten on the list of CIO concerns: building business skills in IT; reducing the cost of doing business; improving IT quality; security & privacy; managing change; IT strategic planning; making better use of information; evolving CIO leadership.
More than 130 CIO and IT executives from 112 different companies responded to this year’s SIM survey, which polled members to determine the issues that are top of mind for them.
