TALKING
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Tech leadership is now intrinsically tied to organizational success , and CIOs must adapt to their role as change agents .
CIOs now control the majority of organizational budgets and are second only to the CEO in terms of shaping and delivering business strategy , research from Citrix , a business unit of Cloud Software Group , has found .
The study , with respondents across the US , the UK , Australia , Brazil , Columbia , France , Germany , Japan , Mexico and the Netherlands , was based on interviews with 3,300 business leaders working in large and midmarket businesses across the globe .
Shaping strategy
( 1,100 respondents ) say legacy systems and technical debt are a significant challenge in their role .
CIOs and other C-suite tech leaders are also navigating talent shortages and a looming vacuum at the top . Almost half ( 46 %) of C-level tech leaders are delaying their retirement because they fear there is nobody to replace them . This fear makes sense in light of their current responsibilities , as 60 % say their role involves ensuring everyone in the organization has the tech they need to work effectively , and half say that they are involved in tech troubleshooting for employees .
As companies strive for success against a difficult economic backdrop , they are looking to tech leaders to act as strategic business partners . According to the data :
• 67 % of business leaders say the CIO is now second only to the CEO in terms of shaping and delivering the business strategy
• 64 % of business leaders say the CIO has control of the majority of their organization ’ s budget
• 73 % of business leaders believe that having a vision for the future is important for being a successful tech leader in today ’ s working world .
The study reveals that CIOs are increasingly responsible for other aspects of business too , from regulation and compliance to ESG performance . This ever-broadening remit comes with the need for new skills and attributes , with emotional intelligence now considered one of the most essential qualities to being a successful tech leader in today ’ s working world .
Infrastructure challenges
The research also shows , however , that despite this broadening remit , in practice many CIOs are still tied up with infrastructure : 67 % of C-level tech leaders
This ever-broadening remit comes with the need for new skills and attributes , with emotional intelligence now considered one of the most essential qualities to being a successful tech leader in today ’ s working world .
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