
But the techies get left out in the cold
By Steve Ranger
Published: 26 July 2006 15:15 BST
First the good news. Nearly four out of five companies have someone on the board who is responsible for IT - compared to three out of five just five years ago.
But now the bad news - many of the executives representing IT don't have an IT background.
According to a National Computing Centre (NCC) survey of 250 medium- to large-sized organisations, IT is now much more widely represented formally at company board level.
But the number of 'pure' IT directors - who only have responsibility for tech - has fallen over the last five years from 27 per cent to 21 per cent, while on 58 per cent of boards IT is represented by a "director of IT and other areas".
This might include the IT department reporting to the finance director or other directors who have a board level responsibility for reshaping business processes.
The report also found that organisations with a director responsible for IT and other areas are more likely to report a slower pace of IT adoption compared to those led by pure IT directors.
Further reading…
♦ Leader: The business has gone too far
♦ Temp CIOs see pay rates rocket
The NCC said the results indicate IT professionals are losing out on the top jobs because they lack broader business perspectives and capabilities.
Stefan Foster, NCC managing director, said there is now widespread acceptance of the need for a high level champion of IT to ensure technology actually achieves the business benefits that are intended.
And he said boards are increasingly prioritising individuals with proven business credentials and an ability to see change programmes through to conclusion.
A lack of involvement and commitment of senior managers is the most common problem holding back the development of an IT strategy, blamed by 45 per cent of respondents. Budget limitations are cited as the major implementation problem, as they were five years ago.
Experience of working with Partnering Boards would also be highly beneficial. This will include liaising with key Stakeholders, Board Members and ...
Consolidated Monthly Performance Information for: Board; Executive Committee; Directors and Project Managers. Agree intervention processes to correct ...
The directors & consultants are Building Industry professionals with actual experience of Field Sales , Marketing and Senior Management . We ...
Agenda Setters 2008
Welcome to the ninth annual Agenda Setters poll – silicon.com's list of the top 50 most influential individuals in the technology and IT industries, from techies and CIOs to entrepreneurs and business leaders. Find out more in our latest special report.
Stories from the web...
Copyright © 2008 CBS Interactive Limited. All rights reserved. Top of page
Mark McDonald CIOs: Go large for services The bigger the better
Stuart Packham Looking for a job? Look no further Five top recruitment trends