Leader: Can CIOs cut it in the boardroom?

Talk to any CIO of a large multinational company today and they'll tell you all about how their firm's IT strategy is closely aligned to the business plan and how it's not about using technology for technology's sake.

These days CIOs see themselves not only as IT leaders but as business leaders, central to any business transformation plans. This is refreshing to hear.

But new research out this week from Gartner might prove a rude awakening for many of those CIOs and IT directors. It found that while 80 per cent think they have influence in the boardroom, their fellow non-IT execs rank them seventh out of eight in terms of strategic influence, just above the HR director.

The report says that while there is a small number of CIOs who genuinely do have the ear of their CEOs and take an active role in wider company revenue and growth strategies, many are hiding in the comfort zone of IT, blinkered by security and costs instead of taking a more risky entrepreneurial approach.

One CIO of a FTSE 100 company told silicon.com last week that while CIOs aspire to greater things, most haven't earned the right to be anything other than a direct report into the financial director.

With the economy showing tentative signs of recovery, companies which lead their sectors are already implementing innovative plans for growth. There is clearly an opportunity here for CIOs to genuinely establish an influential seat at the top table, though that doesn't mean simply throwing money at any passing technology fad.

Few execs have a true view of the business processes across an organisation and it is here where the CIO can make his influence felt by shifting away from focusing wholly on tactical IT delivery to taking an active part in wider business strategy.