A clear majority (67%) of business leaders say that the CIO is now second only to the CEO in terms of shaping and delivering business strategy, if the research from Citrix is to be believed.
Leadership skills may now become an increasingly important part of what was once a mainly technical role; 73% of business leaders surveyed said they believe that “having a vision for the future is important to being a successful technology leader” in today’s world.
But the increased responsibility is not without its downsides Nearly half (46%) of C-level technology leaders surveyed said they are delaying their retirement because they fear there will be no one to replace them.
challenges ahead
Citrix spoke to 3,300 business leaders working in large and medium-sized companies in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, and the Netherlands.
These concerns may make sense given their current responsibilities as 60% say their role includes ensuring that everyone in the organization has access to the technology they need to operate effectively, and half say they participate in technical troubleshooting for employees.
In addition, CEOs have more influence over the financial future of their companies than ever before, with 64% of those surveyed saying that the CIO controls the majority of their organization’s budget – beating out even CEOs in this regard.
But despite this increased level of influence, many CIOs struggle with the same classic set of problems, with 67% saying outdated systems and technical debt present a major challenge in their role.
Commenting on the news, Sridhar Molapudi, General Manager, Citrix, highlighted how CIOs “play a key role in overcoming the current talent crisis, whether by providing tools to increase employee productivity or by leading automation projects.”
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