Despite 2020 acting as a major reality check for the entire business world, many Chief Information Officers (CIO) in the UK still believe they’re not completely prepared to help their organizations survive another similar disruption.
These are the conclusions of a new study from digital transformation service provider Genpact. Polling 500 CIOs and technology leaders all over the world, the company found that CIOs can be sorted into three categories: pilots, co-pilots and engineers.
Pilots are said to drive the transformation journey, innovate and help their business achieve greatness despite difficulties, but make up only one fifth of all CIOs in the UK. Co-pilots, who are seen as the ones to modernize the business, but need to partner up with business leaders to shape and deliver transformation, are the most numerous at 57 percent. The remaining 23 percent are classed as engineers; those who “simply execute” and don’t drive transformation.
A CIO’s ability to properly drive digital transformation “can make or break a business”, the report argues, claiming that those who migrated data centers into the cloud, automated processes, upskilled employees, adopted AI and ML, as well as advanced analytics, were the ones to adapt to the pandemic most successfully.
“Transformation pilot CIOs who drive alignment across the C-suite and put the organizational focus on building resilience and innovation will be the co-creators of new business models and future-ready companies. CIOs who do not will see their organizations struggle,” said Sanjay Srivastava, Chief Digital Officer at Genpact.
