Leading in a digital age

Tech leadership study: The rise of the tech-focused CXO

With technology now a primary driver of business growth and transformation, many leading companies are looking to technology leaders to help spur innovation and competitive advantage. As technology’s purview expands, several new leadership roles have emerged, each responsible for wrangling a different aspect of technology.

The convergence of technology and business strategies compels many tech-focused executives to collaborate as a tightly woven team, coordinating the planning and execution of joint business-technology strategies and ultimately contributing to the growth and transformation of the organization. Yet many often struggle with a fundamental question: How can they design business and technology organizations, cultures and operating models that provide the flexibility, speed, and innovation required to meet current and future business and competitive challenges?

No one-size-fits-all formula can dictate the appropriate organizational structure or division of responsibilities. It likely will depend on the company’s objectives, challenges, and transformation trajectory as well as the availability of necessary talent, ecosystem partners, and leadership skills. Tech-focused C-suite executives can consider roles and operating models that address four primary areas of responsibility: Modernizing core systems and processes, digitizing business operations, transforming customer and user experiences, and cocreating business value through tech-driven innovation. Although some of these responsibilities may reside outside the traditional IT function and some of the required talent may not have traditional technical and operations skills, these areas likely will require the oversight of a technology leader.

To better understand the technology leader’s changing role, Deloitte LLP’s US CIO Program has launched the 2020 global tech leadership study. The primary objective of the research is to pinpoint the perspectives, concerns, and insights of business and technology leaders; identify necessary leadership skills; and understand the evolution of technology operating models, organizations, and talent. The forthcoming research will build upon the findings of the global CIO survey, a multiyear research initiative synthesizing the opinions of more than 4,500 CIOs around the world.

Our aim is to conduct surveys and interviews with technology and business executives in more than 70 countries. We welcome all senior tech leaders and their business counterparts to participate in this effort by completing a brief survey. Upon publication of this comprehensive study in June 2020, survey participants can request an individual readout of the final report.

Senior-level technology and business executives who join this global study can help us understand their objectives, successes, and challenges. Contributing to this research effort can help business and technology leaders engage in conversations about their evolving roles and share their perspectives on using technology to drive operational excellence, innovation and disruption, and sustainable business value.