2016-2017 Global CIO Survey

This year’s report focuses on how CIOs can chart the course to create their legacy—creating lasting value to the business— despite the challenges of rapid digital transformation. Globally, 1,217 technology leaders participated in this research across 23 industry segments. Examine the findings from the 2016-2017 global CIO survey.

In the 2015 global CIO survey, we showed you a map for creating legacy, which we define as how technology leaders deliver lasting value to their organizations. Our key finding was that effective CIOs add value in three distinct patterns based on the needs of the business. Trusted operators ensure operational excellence, change instigators enable large business transformations, and business co-creators focus on revenue and growth. This year, we plot the course. The theme of this year’s global CIO report—Navigating Legacy—focuses on how CIOs can chart the journey between pattern types as they look to create their legacy.

• Nature vs. Nurture: How much control do CIOs have in creating a lasting legacy? According to our research, the answer is, “a considerable amount.” In fact, for CIOs, inherent skills and traits appear to matter much less than the capabilities that they instill in their IT organizations – capabilities that can be delivered by CIOs of all personality types.
• The needs of the business: A CIO’s legacy is largely a function of the value they create for the enterprise. But just how does a CIO create business value? This year’s survey showed significant gaps between CIOs’ perception of how they are delivering value to the business and the business’s stated priorities and expectations. We address how effective foresight on the part of the CIO enables them to effectively prepare themselves and their IT organizations to support the next business need and even influence the direction of the business overall.
• Charting the course: How will you navigate through uncharted business expectations? Savvy CIOs are looking not only at current business priorities and needs, but also at future business direction—and they are charting a course for that journey. Ultimately, change is the only constant. This year’s report will allow CIOs to assess their current CIO pattern. More importantly, it will help them determine which pattern will enable them to deliver more value in the future so they can plot how to shift from one pattern to the other.

The bottom line? CIOs can shape the path forward. The “digital” era presents a challenging and exciting time for CIOs as they navigate business needs around digital technologies. Because the CIO has a unique purview of digital’s comprehensive potential reach across the organization, he or she can actually do more than anticipate—they can shape the direction. Read the full report through Deloitte Insights for more on how the CIO can chart the course to create their legacy.

Determine your pattern type

Take a quick assessment to identify your current pattern type. Gain further insights in the report on the business conditions that may require a shift between pattern types and the key considerations and steps required to navigate from one pattern type to another. Take the pattern type assessment now.

About the CIO Program

CIOs lead unique and complex lives—operating at the intersection of business and IT to deliver value to their organizations. To help CIOs manage these challenges and issues, Deloitte has created the CIO Program. The program provides distinctive offerings to support the CIO career lifecycle through leadership development programs, immersive lab experiences, insight on provocative topics, and career transition support to complement the technology services and solutions we provide to our clients.