Survey: CIOs positive despite downturn

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Chief information officers (CIOs) are ready to play a key leadership role in helping their businesses to adapt to the current tough economic climate, a new survey has revealed.

The majority of CIOs questioned (62 per cent) believed their board-level colleagues were increasingly turning to them for insight and leadership in business change. The survey of 100 CIOs was carried out by the networking organisation CIO Connect, which represents 60 per cent of FTSE 250 companies in the UK.

The influence of CIOs seems to be continuing to grow, as the survey showed that as many as 80 per cent of respondents now sit on one of their organisation’s principal executive or operating committees. And one in five CIOs said they had a seat at board level.

Consequently, 60 per cent said they were in an excellent position to be able to build a detailed knowledge of the executive's latest business priorities and organisational imperatives. And for 42 per cent, a key attribute associated with their role is the broad and informed view they contribute to their organisation’s executive committee on business strategy and processes, coupled with a deep knowledge of how technology can help deliver business benefits.

In support of their strategic roles, CIOs were found to be spending on average 17 per cent of their time in formal and informal discussions with top executives and fellow management.

Some 45 per cent of CIOs also said they were developing a broader business remit and view themselves more as strategic leaders. They also believed that their role was principally about developing and delivering new business applications (26 per cent), or managing the delivery of enterprise IT services (23 per cent).

Nick Kirkland, CIO Connect's chief executive, said: ”We are seeing CIOs emerging to take leadership role in driving business change within their organisations.”

He said the survey revealed that CIOs feel well positioned to interpret how their organisation best addresses the complexities of an economic downturn.

As for CIO expectations in 2009, meeting executive demands for increased value (70 per cent) and cost containment (45 per cent) were regarded as a top agenda item for CIOs. The majority of CIOs managed an average annual spend of between £10 million and £50 million and 40 per cent of those questioned expected their budget to remain unchanged in 2009.

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