Only One In Four CIOs Self-Identifies As A Business Strategist Or Game-Changer

A new report from Emerson Network Power, a business of Emerson and a global player in maximising availability, capacity and efficiency of critical infrastructure, finds that nearly half of CIOs consider themselves IT service providers or cost centres, rather than business game changers or strategic innovators. Simply keeping up with new technologies has become a major barrier to embracing the rapid development of the information era. The report, “The CIO of the Future: Becoming a Business Game-Changer,” also emphasised the importance of budgeting for innovation as one way to embrace a more strategic role in any organisation.

The Emerson Network Power report includes responses from 560 CIOs and top IT executives of companies with 500 or more employees in the United States, Latin America, Europe and Asia. Highlights from the report include:

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• CIOs from Asia (79 percent) and Latin America (78 percent) lead the pack in expecting significant change in their role in the next 5 years. Less dramatic change was expected in the United States and Europe, where about half believe their role will change significantly in the next 5 years.

• Only 10 percent of CIOs see themselves as a driver of their business’ competitive future; with another 15 percent categorising themselves as a business peer and 26 percent seeing themselves as influential collaborators.

• Latin American CIOs are more likely to see themselves as developers of business strategy or game changers. U.S. CIOs are the least likely to see themselves in this way.

• CIOs identified 40 issues as being very or extremely important to their role as IT leader in their organisation. As a result they find themselves spending most of their time focused on providing services rather than planning for the future.

“As a former CIO I understand both the demands of the job and the critical role the CIO can play in supporting and shaping business strategy,” said Steve Hassell, former Emerson CIO and current President of Emerson Network Power’s Avocent business. “It can be difficult to get off the hamster wheel of day-to-day operations, but trends such as social media, mobility and data-driven decision making are only going to increase the importance of IT in attracting and serving customers. Emerson is rapidly addressing some of these challenges by introducing solutions that reduce complexity and improve management of resources. This is key to making the transition from service provider to business leader a seamless effort.”