An entrepreneurial CIO will boost companies into the top 25% of earnings growth by 2012.
This is according to research conducted by international analyst firm Gartner, which says in the current economic climate, companies will need someone with an entrepreneurial spirit to keep them on the growth path.
“One of the biggest dilemmas facing organisations is how CEOs and CIOs can execute entrepreneurial tasks in the current risk-averse environment,” says Jorge Lopez, VP and distinguished analyst at Gartner.
He says that, as shareholders find the recession impacting less on their daily lives, they will be looking to see revenue and earnings growth in their businesses. CEOs and CIOs will be expected to produce those earnings.
Lopez says organisations will need to make sure they have the right CIO for a return to growth. “The right combination of vision, risk-taking and persuasiveness is needed to fill the requirements for the job,” he adds.
Gartner believes the entrepreneurial CIO is the person who, working jointly with an entrepreneurial CEO or business unit executive, brings the resources under the command of the IT organisation to capture new and growing business opportunities.
“The primary focus of the entrepreneurial CIO is on new-business impact,” explains Lopez.
Gartner's CEO research has established each year for the past six years that more than 60% of CEOs see their IT organisations as a key constraint to the changes they need. “The most valuable CIOs will be those who can provide this crucial value in a difficult economic environment.”
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