Gartner Survey: What Technology Leaders Must Do in 2024
19.10.2023 - 18:33
/ pcmag.com
It's all well and good to talk about technology trends, but what really concerns most CIOs and other business leaders is what they need to accomplish in the year ahead. So at Gartner Symposium, I was interested in the various takes that different analysts presented in various sessions, often based on surveys the firm has done of different groups.
Every year, the company presents findings from a survey of CEOs and other top executives asking about their top priorities. Gartner's Kristin Moyer and Mark Raskino noted that, as usual, growth was cited the most often, even more so than last year and that technology concerns are close behind.
As has been the case, productivity does not score high on the list, which Raskino said continues to surprise him, and has always concerned me. But overall the list is fairly stable from last year.
But he added that it's possible that we are reaching a turning point. Spending on technology has grown so much in the past decade as new technologies come along. While the executives were no longer as concerned about recession as they were last year, instead they were thinking about business risk.
As a result, he and Moyer said CIOs had two big action areas for the year ahead: Finding the foundations for business strategy, and framing the AI future for the executive team to bet on.
Moyer talked about how CEOs are looking for "responsible profitability," and also at issues such as sustainability, and a continued push for "digital."
"Digital is endless," Moyer said, noting that companies will continue to use digital as a major channel, noting that the largest group of the executives surveyed said they were either just starting their digital journey, or were less than halfway done.
Raskino also focused on supply chain issues including "reglobalization" and talent issues.
Going forward, Moyer said CIOs need to discover their CEO and board's timing of strategic rebuilding, assert their own input, establish how new ideas can change the rule of competition in your industry, and offer potential business returns even if that means somewhat longer payback time.
Raskino focused on framing the AI future, saying it was important because the CEO is already thinking about it, has likely used ChatGPT, and has usually discussed generative AI at a board level. In an open-ended question about what technology will significantly impact their industry over the next three years, over half the CEOs said AI. While AI has been a top category for years, it's never been mentioned nearly so often.
Moyer said AI makes it easier for the CIO to go to the CEO for more resources. She noted that most CIOs are looking at AI for growth, not headcount reduction. Raskino said you will have to bet big on a strategy