CIOs Role in Digital Transformation

Decode how CIOs and IT leaders can become digital and business strategy agents for organizations

Share the job of digital delivery to boost ROI while minimizing risk

Our annual survey of more than 2,400 CIOs and IT executives shows CIOs are being tasked with an increased demand in delivering business value from technology initiatives without additional resources – sound familiar?

By adopting a franchise model, CIOs can co-own the responsibility of digital delivery with CxOs, overcoming budget and talent restraints and reducing risk.

Download the 2024 CIO Agenda to find out why CIOs who co-lead digital delivery are more than 2x as likely to meet or exceed outcomes from tech investments.

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Adopt a franchise framework to improve digital delivery

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Gartner Digital Execution Scorecard™

The Gartner Digital Execution Scorecard™ provides CIOs and top technology executives a comprehensive set of digital strategy benchmarks to accelerate decision-making and drive execution.

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How we address the top CIO challenges

With technology becoming a major enabler for businesses, the role of the CIO is evolving from technology expert to business strategist. With increasing expectations, CIOs today are facing unprecedented challenges to improve business outcomes, transform business models, modernize technology and enhance customer experience. Our insights, advice and tools helps CIOs find solutions to their most pressing challenges and help learn about the latest developments that matter to a CIO the most.

Build an IT Strategic Plan That You Will Actually Use

Fit organizations — those that perform well in any market condition — distinguish themselves because they are great at creating, articulating, and executing strategies to maximizes results. Use this strategic planning guide to turn strategy into action.

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Quick Answer: Where to Apply Generative AI in Digital Business Strategic Planning

Generative AI use cases for strategic planning are rapidly surfacing, and organizations must find ways to drive growth and deliver value without threatening their financial support. Use this research to evaluate wayt to apply generative AI in strategic planning.

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The IT Roadmap for Digital Business Transformation

The Gartner IT Roadmap for Digital Transformation is based on unbiased research and interactions with thousands of organizations across all industries and sectors. CIOs and IT leaders can avoid common pitfalls and lead smart, effective digital transformation by following best practices.

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CIO role questions Gartner can help answer

What are the roles and responsibilities of a CIO?

Digital ideation and delivery: Identify, test and scale the most promising digital business ideas within business budget.
Digital foundation building: Manage cross-cutting platforms and integration.
Traditional IT management: Manage legacy infrastructure, security and core enterprise.
General business management: Work with business leaders to shape the organization’s approach to digital business transformation and build the digital dexterity of leaders.

How do CIOs transform into business enterprise leaders?

With the rapid rate of digital transformation changing the face of enterprises globally, the role of the CIO is also transforming. Insular IT management is a thing of the past, with CIOs now a linchpin in the C-suite, educating and guiding business leaders on ownership of critical digital responsibilities to help accelerate digital business progress.

Moving into the future, CIOs will have to cement that critical inclusion in business leadership as management develops more advanced digital dexterity.

Taking a more holistic view of business strategy and transformation instead of just IT, CIOs will need to shift their focus to building the digital competencies of general managers and overseeing implementation and growth of digital strategy.

Why do CIOs need to shift their focus to digital and business transformation?

In 2019, 82% of businesses surveyed had a digital transformation plan in place. Having embraced the importance of technology in the changing face of business, organizations are now developing leaders with their own IT and digital talent to progress with business initiatives, unreliant on IT teams for delivery or implementation. While this is welcomed news for business growth, the traditional role of IT management or CIOs has rapidly changed.

To maintain their hard-fought influence in the C-suite, CIOs will need to redefine their teams and approaches to business integration. All of IT will need to shift focus to educating business partners on emerging technologies, coaching business partners on iterative development methodologies and helping business partners understand integration requirements to remain relevant to an organization’s growth strategy.

As the digital dexterity of the workforce grows, CIOs need to ensure they’re delivering more than just IT advice to an organization.