Offering regional and national programs, CIO (and CSO) events bring together some of the most respected names and thought leaders in information technology and security. Presented by CIOs and other senior level executives, these invitation-only programs offer timely topics and strong networking. Learn More »
Public Teleconferences
Join CIO Executive Council members and participate in the following live teleconferences:
* Planning for Succession:
Models for IT Leadership Development, June 23
* Change Leadership at General Growth Properties: A
Pathways Leadership Development Seminar, June 25
* Managing Change: Centralizing Your IT Organization
July 29
Apply today for a FREE subscription to CIO Magazine!
May 09, 2007 — CIO — Corporate boards think IT's importance has increased over the past few years—but they need to start taking action to prove it, says new research from Deloitte. Only 11 percent of boards discuss IT at every meeting according to Deloitte's study, "The Board and Information Technology Strategies."
Twenty-two percent of the 455 respondents, all directors of companies with revenue of $1 billion or more, said that they blame IT strategy for the companies' inability to achieve its goals. But they don't plan to work toward improving the strategy: 52 percent said their board won't spend any more time on IT over the next three years than it does now.
Kenneth Porrello, a principal with Deloitte Consulting who directed the survey, says, "The thing that was most frequently cited as preventing boards from spending more time on IT was lack of time. Compliance matters have been a major factor in the increase of demands on boards."
Communication problems contribute to the divide: Directors are not often receptive to CIOs because of lack of exposure, Porrello says. CEOs and CIOs need to determine whether their boards are spending enough quality time talking about IT, and if not, how they can make time to do so, he says.
CIOs need to find opportunities to interact with their boards, to build a better understanding about what the board cares about, how the members communicate, what types of information they value and how they like to interact with management, Porrello says. "Build an understanding of the 'personality' and the culture of the board. Also, work with your CEO and other members of the management team to understand their longer-term plan and approach for working with the board so that you can mesh your efforts with theirs."
Aligning IT strategy with overall business goals is key. No matter how thin board members are stretched, they are passionate about wanting to contribute to strategy and business performance, Porrello says.
Just the basics, please. Sometimes we all need a refresher or we need to make sure our team and our colleagues are all on the same page.
Over 25 tutorials on everything from business intelligence to virtualization.