growth, while carefully balancing this with
tight budgets and internal politics.
So, how can CIOs navigate their way through
these complexities with the odds stacked
sharply against them?
UK CIO struggles
Wanting to understand the challenges facing
CIOs more deeply, Citrix recently polled CIOs
across the United Kingdom on factors which
influence their performance, the longevity of
their role and the state of digital maturity in
their organisations. The findings exposed a
notable lack of confidence and optimism for
the role, with just 42% of responding CIOs
saying they felt they were able to ‘fulfil their
visions’ for Digital Transformation in their
last job role, which in large part was due to
the ageing IT infrastructure they inherited.
While CIOs are expected to spearhead
Digital Transformation, the survey findings
suggest that organisations continue to view
IT as a cost centre, creating a dilemma for
those who need business backing in order
to drive transformation as quickly and safely
as possible. In addition to this, the CIO
role has become more political than ever,
www.intelligentcio.com
“
THE CIO ROLE HAS
A RELATIVELY
SHORT LIFE
EXPECTANCY,
WITH HALF OF
IT LEADERS
SPENDING LESS
THAN FIVE YEARS
IN THEIR LAST JOB
AND EXPECTED
TO FOLLOW
A SIMILAR
TIMEFRAME IN
THEIR
CURRENT POST.
meaning that ideas or ways of working
which are seemingly immune to criticism,
are the biggest obstacles holding them back
from achieving their objectives. How the CIO
role is perceived and supported internally is
another problem, with IT leaders facing tight
budgetary restraints and the expectation
from the C-suite to deliver an immediate
return on investment from projects.
As a result, the CIO role has a relatively
short life expectancy, with half of IT leaders
spending less than five years in their
last job and expected to follow a similar
timeframe in their current post. This ‘CIO
cycle’ presents a significant challenge to
Digital Transformation, since organisations
need continuity to see through such large-
scale projects to manage the cultural and
behaviour shifts that are needed alongside
the technical piece.
Driving digital change
For things to change, it comes down to the
state of mind of those in the boardroom, the
culture of the business and the appetite for
risk. Moving forward, business leaders should
approach conversations involving ROI in
terms of what more can be done, not how
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