For CIOs (Length: 15 pages)

February 7, 2007

Closing The CEO-CIO Gap

CEOs And CIOs Need Loftier Aspirations For IT's Contribution

This is the first document in the "Business Executives And IT" series.

by Laurie M. Orlov

with Bobby Cameron, George F. Colony, Bo Belanger


Executive Summary (This is a document excerpt)

IT executives continue to cite IT-business alignment as a key worry; at first glance, however, they shouldn't worry — the boss likes them. On deeper reflection, many CIOs and their shareholders should worry because CEOs don't expect much proactive behavior from IT. Forrester's survey of top executives probed CEOs about their view of their CIOs and IT organizations. On the plus side, CEOs seem to be generally satisfied with IT and CIOs — most of all when hired personally, seated at the executive table, and experienced in the job. Unfortunately, CEOs admit to low expectations of the role that IT plays in the enterprise in terms of contribution to innovation, process improvement, and asset management. CIOs own half the responsibility for shaping the CEO's low expectations — which means educating the boss to expect more.

Buy Risk-Free

Download and print PDF immediately. Price: US $749

Our Money-Back Guarantee: If you are not completely satisfied, return it for a full refund within three weeks of your online purchase.

Already a Forrester Client?
Log in to read this document.

Add to cart

TABLE OF CONTENTS

NOTES & RESOURCES

itemOn The Plus Side, Most CEOs Think Positively About IT

itemCEOs Are Generally Happy With IT's Performance

itemNow For The Bad News: Happy CEOs Have Low Expectations Of IT

itemCEOs' Low Expectations Position Their Firms For Future IT Stagnation

itemCEOs Must Educate Themselves And Raise Their Expectations Of IT

itemCIOs: You Own Half The Responsibility To Change The Status Quo

recommendations

itemCEOs Must Hire And Develop The Right CIOs For The Business

WHAT IT MEANS

itemFirms With Low IT Expectations Won't Attain BT Status

Forrester surveyed 71 CEOs of firms with more than $100 million in total annual revenues and also interviewed experts from Accenture, Bain & Company, Deloitte, Harvard Business School, McKinsey & Company, and Russell Reynolds Associates.

Related Research Documents

itemBusiness Technology: Do Business Execs Get IT?

September 13, 2006, Trends

itemMy View: IT To BT

August 18, 2006, Quick Take

itemThe Three Archetypes Of IT

March 22, 2006, Trends

Find Documents In Related Categories

This document falls under the following categories. Click on a link below to find similar documents.

Technology: Governance, Risk, & Compliance, IT Management, Security & Risk, Serving the Business
Geography: Asia Pacific, Europe, North America

Archived Teleconference:
Jam Session No. 5: Tuning Your Agenda To Economic Realities
Original air date: Friday, December 05, 2008
corner border corner
Ratings and Comments
Rating: 8 out of 10
based on 5 ratings across all roles.
corner border corner