Mark McDonald

Today is the first day of Gartner’s 2010 CIO Leadership forum in the U.S.  More than 250 CIOs have come together in Phoenix for this event.  The European event in London at the end of April already has more than 175 CIOs registered to attend.  Theme of this year is “Raising the bar for business impact and leadership.”  A topic that is on the mind of every CIO and IT organization as we all face a world in transition that presents complex choices and demands on every leader.

The Leadership Forum breaks these choices and demands into three time periods that are the focus of the event’s interactive workshops.

Delivery results now! – What are the issues facing CIOs and the decisions the need to make for success in 2010?  It’s the close of the first quarter and enterprises have about six months to make a significant impact in this year.

Prepare for the upturn – How will you position your enterprise for success as the economy transitions from recession into recovery and growth?  Recovery follows every recession and the decisions/positions you take now determine your role in the recovery.

Navigating the next opportunities and threats – Where the future sources of value and challenges to your enterprise?  If part of the future is already here, then how do you see and understand the trends that will set the bar for the future.

Executives face a future with no clear single direction.  Economic, strategic and technology transitions will have a specific impact on your organization, its plans, capabilities and success.  CIOs in particular face a unique challenge, that of CHOICE as new lightweight delivery models and technologies give enterprises more options in creating and provisioning technology capability and capacity.

Choice can be thought of as a framework for thinking through the leadership issues we face today, in the recovery and in the future.

Cost – remains a focus as executives look to match every enterprise resource with changing revenue levels.  This is particularly important in IT where the average budget underwent multiple cuts in 2009 and resources remain tight in 2010.

Health – of the IT organization defined in terms of your confidence in IT skills and processes in light of the current balance of resources, responsibilities and results.  The majority of CIOs report that they do not have the right skills in their current organization.

Operations – the ability of IT to provide the capacity and services levels required by the enterprise.  This is a concern, as many CIOs do not have confidence in their ability to deliver results against their top business priorities and CIO strategies.

Innovation – Practical innovation at a premium to raise performance and create opportunities.  While CIOs feel that currently IT is delivering innovation, they all see the need to innovate in the way the enterprise uses information, business process and new classes of lightweight technologies like the social media creating by Web 2.0.

Capability – IT has been focused on managing resources and processes to enable the business.  However an early majority of CIOs (42%) already see IT as having a direct contribution and responsibility for raising business performance.

Execution – is where plans meet practicalities and create value. The current state of IT is fine for now, but 50% of CIOs believe IT will need to change in the future.

The table below combines the choices CIOs face across the three time periods that organize the CIO Leadership Forum.  It is offered as a tool for every CIO and IT executive to think through how they will deliver results today, prepare for the future and realize the potential of information and technology in the future.

Welcome to the CIOs in Phoenix and we all look forward to meeting the CIOs planning to attend in London.

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Category: 2010 Strategy     Tags: 2010, Business Leadership, CIO Leadership, IT and Business, IT strategy, Strategy and Planning

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