Key Issues for IT Executives

Abstract

In the summer of 2003, the Society for Information Management (SIM) commissioned a formal survey to uncover the opinions of its members and the members of The Conference Board (an organization of IT executives) on three topics: key management concerns, application and technology developments, and enablers and inhibitors of IT and business alignment. The authors received 301 responses, which were analyzed in several categories: industry, years of experience in the IT field, and job title (CIOs versus Other IT Executives). The top five management concerns were: 1.IT and business alignment 2.IT strategic planning 3.Security and privacy 4.Attracting, developing, and retaining IT professionals 5.Measuring the value of IT investments The top five application and technology developments were: (1) business intelligence, (2) infrastructure developments, (3) enterprise application integration, (4) Web services, and (5) knowledge management. The top five enablers of alignment were: (1) IT understands the firm¡¯s business environment, (2) close partnership between IT and business, (3) senior executive support for IT, (4) IT plans linked to business plans, and (5) IT demonstration of strong leadership. Conversely, the top five inhibitors of alignment were: (1) lack of senior executive support for IT, (2) lack of influence of headquarters¡¯ leadership, (3) lack of business communication with IT, (4) lack of business commitment of budgets for IT investments, and (5) lack of clarity and predictability of corporate goals and directions. This article discusses these findings and their managerial implications.

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