Only 23% of CIOs surveyed expect remote workplace changes
from the COVID-19 pandemic to become permanent
ARMONK, N.Y., Nov. 9, 2021 /CNW/ -- A new IBM (NYSE: IBM)
Institute for Business Value (IBV) study revealed CIOs' influence
on business strategy and operations is growing as technology
pervades surveyed enterprises. When asked which other C-Suite
members will be most critical over the next few years, CEOs
surveyed named their tech chiefs (CIOs and CTOs) at more than twice
the rate of CMOs, CHROs or any other position excluding CFO and
COOs.
The annual global study* also revealed critical challenges CIOs
are facing and recommendations to help overcome those challenges
and drive agility, innovation and growth for their
organizations.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the need for AI and
hybrid cloud applications to power business critical processes,"
said Kathryn Guarini, chief
information officer, IBM. "In our post-pandemic era, the role of
technology has never been more critical and it's up to CIOs to
influence strategy, break down internal silos, and drive agility
and innovation across every part of the business."
CIOs surveyed lead digital transformation with focus on AI,
hybrid cloud and sustainability
While CIOs continue to deliver the core IT services that power
day-to-day business operations, they are also often expected to
help drive innovation and business growth.
Many surveyed CIOs emphasized the importance of data and
automation to break down siloes and create new value streams. The
number of CIOs surveyed reporting high maturity in AI-enabled
workflows increased 560% compared to two years ago, and 37% of CIOs
surveyed cite process automation as the top opportunity for
positive impact within their organizations. Respondents indicated
the greatest use of automation is in IT, finance, and manufacturing
– at 40%, 35%, and 35% of workloads, respectively.
Hybrid cloud is a key underpinning for AI-powered intelligent
workflows. The number of CIOs surveyed reporting high maturity in
their hybrid cloud operations increased 700% compared to 2019. The
IBV's recent study on cloud transformation provides further insight
on how hybrid cloud is becoming the dominant IT architecture.
Many CIOs are also looking to use technology to drive progress
against corporate objectives like sustainability. 42% of CIOs
surveyed expect technology to have a significant impact on
sustainability in the next three years - highest of all areas of
impact.
CIOs and CTOs may be working at cross-purposes in the drive
for business value
Many CIOs are increasingly serving as a bridge across other
business functions, connecting the dots to balance and rearrange
technology resources and capabilities to drive agility and
efficiency. Within the walls of the technology function itself,
however, only 4 in 10 CIOs surveyed report they frequently interact
with CTOs, despite the fact that effective collaboration can drive
financial benefits.
The consequences of this disconnect can be significant – if CIOs
and CTOs are using data and AI for different use cases without
coordination across culture, processes and tools, the organization
may lack a cross-company view and ability to govern critical data
properly.
CIOs surveyed may be underestimating the challenge of an
ongoing hybrid workplace
83% of CIOs surveyed say they implemented remote work
strategies, but only 23% expect remote workplace changes from the
COVID-19 pandemic to become permanent.
In contrast, nearly two in three (65%) employees surveyed report
they'd prefer to work exclusively remotely or in a hybrid model, if
given the choice.
These findings may indicate a potential blind spot for CIOs if
employee preferences for flexible schedules and work locations are
not going away. In this period of "The Great Resignation," the
CIO's ability to adopt effective technology applications and
productive collaboration strategies for the workforce could make a
significant difference in the war for talent.
The study includes recommendations from IBM for leaders
including:
- Embrace an open hybrid cloud approach and AI technology to help
drive enterprise agility, innovation and growth.
- Bridge the divide with the CTO to expand technology's
leadership influence.
- Seize the moment to lead organizational strategy around the
hybrid workplace.
*Methodology
The IBV 2021 CIO study surveyed 2,500
CIOs from over 45 locations and 29 industries. It was conducted in
cooperation with Oxford Economics and benchmarked against nearly 20
years of IBM's C-suite surveys. The full study is available at
https://www.ibm.com/thought-leadership/institute-business-value/c-suite-study/cio
About IBM Institute for Business Value
The IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) delivers trusted
business insights from our position at the intersection of
technology and business, combining expertise from industry
thinkers, leading academics, and subject matter experts with global
research and performance data. The IBV thought
leadership portfolio includes research deep dives,
benchmarking and performance comparisons, and data visualizations
that support business decision making across regions, industries
and technologies. Follow @IBMIBV on Twitter, and to receive the
latest insights by email, visit: www.ibm.com/ibv.
Media contact:
Marisa
Conway
IBM External Relations
conwaym@us.ibm.com
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SOURCE IBM