Recently Gartner has published it annual CIO Agenda Report, in which it tracked all the main trends, problems and tendencies IT leaders in big companies are facing up with. We know how reluctant you are to read huge reports with tons of information (and we don’t blame you). So we have read it for you and gathered the main takeaways form the paper in a simple language. Get insights now.
Insight 1. We need more digital connections
The truth is that the previous model, where business had only one point of connection with Digital world (e.g. online shop) is out of dated. If we look at a platform view of a successful company, we will see that they it is all interconnected with digital technologies, which lets it to feel more stable and secure.
Besides, this type of engagement (including social networks, online support, digital collaborations) provides perfect grounds of expanding the audience your company is aiming at.
Short takeaway: Make sure your business engages digital platforms and technologies wherever possible.
Insight 2. Raise Talents or die
Majority of CIOs see absence of skilled employees as one of the main hurdles for digital development.
Besides, Talent and Leadership platforms have been the main focus for CIOs in 2016.
It all gives a pretty good overview of the situation: to go full speed digital, you will need a good team to rely on. Around 40% of CIOs say that they are the leaders of digital transformation, so if your company is going to add more IT technologies, it is high time to invest more in to education of you staff and raising a CIO yourselves.
Short takeaway: Finding the right person might take a while, so it is better to invest first in your employees and try to raise talent yourself.
Insight 3. Go IT Bimodal now
Gartner uses term ‘IT Bimodal’ in the majority of its reports. It means that the company is not focused on one development vector, but combines 2 main strategies: introduces predictable solid solutions and explores some new risky features and techniques.
The report on 2016 shows that more companies now using this combination and splits their budget for these two vectors of digital development. Besides, Agile technologies don’t lose their popularity.
Short takeaway: Don’t go only for risky or only for predictable solutions. Go bimodal to take the best from both approaches.
Insight 4. First easy, then effective
If you don’t know what to start building you digital strategy from, go with easy options and then switch to effective ones. Don’t be shy to do so, since this is what the majority of leaders do.
Once you feel stable, go for more complicated strategic decisions.
Short takeaway: Building digital strategy is hard, so go first for options that are already available, e.g. crowdsourcing, and then go to more complex ones.
Insight 5. CIO + CEO = <3
2016 has shown that CIOs have gained more influence. The most followed management pattern is their close partnership with CEOs. And tendencies seem for the numbers to increase in future.
Short takeaway: Cooperation between CIOs and CEOs will help both to get a better grab on company strategy and will let both have a more detailed image on what is going on.
Hope you enjoyed our digest. What do you think about trends? What would you like us to read next? Share in the comments!
