CIO role changing from delivery to biz executive

Digitalisation and technological innovation are changing the nature of the job of the chief information officer (CIO). Leaders are rapidly scaling their digital businesses, making the remainder of this year and 2018 a defining moment for CIOs who don’t want to be left behind. Gartner, Inc.’s annual global survey of CIOs showed that their role is transitioning from delivery executive to business executive, from controlling cost and engineering processes, to driving revenue and exploiting data. Gartner analysts presented the survey findings last week. The 2018 Gartner CIO Agenda Survey gathered data from 3,160 respondents in 98 countries and all major industries, representing approximately $13 trillion in revenue/public sector budgets and $277 billion in IT spending. The respondents were categorised as top, typical and trailing performers in digitalisation.

The survey results show that 95 per cent CIOs expect their jobs to change or be remixed due to digitalisation. While world-class IT delivery management is a given, it will take up less and less of the CIO’s time. Respondents believe the two biggest transformations in the CIO role will be becoming a change leader, followed by assuming increased and broader responsibilities and capabilities. Inevitably, the job of CIO will extend beyond the traditional delivery roles to other areas of the business, such as innovation management and talent development.

“The CIO’s role must grow and develop as digital business spreads, and disruptive technologies, including intelligent machines and advanced analytics, reach the masses,” said Andy Rowsell-Jones, vice-president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. “While delivery is still a part of the job, much greater emphasis is being placed on attaining a far broader set of business objectives.” A majority of CIOs say that technology trends, specifically cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, will significantly change how they do their jobs in the near future.