The forward-looking, visionary CIO may be out of style for the moment. A visionary CIO is one who asks where the business is going and envisions how to apply technology three to five years out, according to John J. Davis, president of New York City-based executive search firm John J. Davis & Associates. “This presupposes that the business is looking ahead three to five years, which may not be the case right now.” In fact, the CIO most likely to get hired now is pragmatic, diagnostic and has a proven track record of delivering on time and on budget.A recent survey of 138 business executives conducted by Darwinmag.com, an online sister publication to CIO, found that while businesses still expect IT to help them stay ahead of the competition, they also rely on IT to improve the bottom line. Darwinmag.com panelists indicated the top goals for IT in the coming year are to increase competitive advantage, reduce cost and improve efficiency, in that order. Executives listed more externally focused goals for the previous year, including empowering employees with access to information and improving customer service. When asked how executives determine whether IT is delivering value, the panelists in the December and January polls consistently listed reduced cost and improved productivity.“A few years ago, CIOs were guiding organizations into the future. Now the focus is on return for shareholders and improving business processes today, not 12 months down the road,” he says. Still, the visionary CIO will be back in vogue one day, according to Davis. “CIOs have to have both visionary skills and delivery skills. The visionary skills are just not being called upon strongly right now,” he says. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe Greater Expectations Empower employees with access to information 50% 28% Create/increase competitive advantage 43% 46% Improve customer service 43% 37% Reduce cost of doing business 41% 43% Improve efficiency 41% 41% Improve employee productivity 35% 35% Empower customers with access to information 26% 31% Generate more revenue 21% 34% Other 4% 6% Source: Darwinmag.com, an online sister publication to CIO, January 2002. For the latest poll, visit www2.darwinmag.com/learn/research. Related content feature Mastercard preps for the post-quantum cybersecurity threat A cryptographically relevant quantum computer will put everyday online transactions at risk. Mastercard is preparing for such an eventuality — today. By Poornima Apte Sep 22, 2023 6 mins CIO 100 CIO 100 CIO 100 feature 9 famous analytics and AI disasters Insights from data and machine learning algorithms can be invaluable, but mistakes can cost you reputation, revenue, or even lives. These high-profile analytics and AI blunders illustrate what can go wrong. By Thor Olavsrud Sep 22, 2023 13 mins Technology Industry Technology Industry Technology Industry feature Top 15 data management platforms available today Data management platforms (DMPs) help organizations collect and manage data from a wide array of sources — and are becoming increasingly important for customer-centric sales and marketing campaigns. By Peter Wayner Sep 22, 2023 10 mins Marketing Software Data Management opinion Four questions for a casino InfoSec director By Beth Kormanik Sep 21, 2023 3 mins Media and Entertainment Industry Events Security Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe