Australian CIOs are now spending 44 per cent of their time on developing and managing strategic initiatives aimed at business innovation and growth, according to a survey by recruiter Robert Half Asia Pacific.
The remaining 56 per cent is devoted to operational activities aimed at maintaining the day-to-day operations of the business.
“Technology advancements, such as big data, cloud and mobile technology, are driving business change, delivering growth and innovation across multiple sectors. This brings more challenges in terms of IT security and all of these changes explain why the role of the CIO has evolved to become more integral to the overall function of the business,” said David Jones, senior managing director, Robert Half Asia Pacific.
“The insights coming from these IT developments have become increasingly important to gain a competitive advantage and to make strategic decisions. While maintaining the IT infrastructure and ensuring everything runs smoothly from an operational point of view remains a crucial component for a CIO in any company, the role itself has expanded. In the last few years, the CIO has transformed and evolved from operational enablers to strategic business partners,” he added.
There are still challenges, however, for the CIO in fulfilling this role. Almost a third (32 per cent) of Australian CIOs say their biggest challenge is a lack of technology investment and resources, followed by 17 per cent who cited a lack of visibility within the organisation, and finding skilled IT professionals (16 per cent).
Respondents were also surveyed on what they felt were the most important soft skills a successful CIO needs today, and leadership skills (56 per cent), analytical skills (51 per cent), and strategic vision (47 per cent) were the top three. Further down the list but still rated as important by many were adaptability/flexibility, communication skills and stakeholder management/influence.
“The CIO function is evolving which means the skills needed are also evolving. Today’s CIO doesn’t just need to have the technical knowhow, but also needs to show clear leadership skills, be able to analyse IT issues and clearly articulate that technical information and their implications – as well as insights and solutions – to senior stakeholders and colleagues who do not necessarily have a background in IT,” Jones said.
