While CIOs are classifying themselves as business strategists now more than ever, the percentage of CIOs who said that they are aligned with business goals is still only 34% according to the CIO Executive Council report, “State of the CIO Survey: Business Strategist CIOs Assume the Role of Digital Pathfinders."
"Globalization, the rise of the empowered (and social) customer, and the influence of millenials in the workforce all have had a profound influence in the industry as a whole. These trends have run parallel to a global recession, in which many CEOs have had to make tough choices about the investments across the enterprise. These trends have compelled more CIOs than ever to take stock of their own contributions as business leaders, and focus on moving their IT teams away from primarily operating as cost centers."
The report goes on to identify three types of CIO leaders: the business strategist, the transformational leader and the function head. The business strategists are the fastest growing type of CIO, citing alignment of their IT initatives with the business's goals as their top priority. They rate their working relationship with the CEO as "good or excellent" (among those indicating a working relationship with that executive). They also prioritize the use of data and analytics to improve business decisions.
The report concludes that if CIOs don't move into this business strategist role, they will ultimately be left in the dust.
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