Misalignment at the top
A striking two in five CIOs (39%) report being misaligned with their CEO on key decision-making. Even more worryingly, 31% aren’t confident they know what their CEO really wants, and 34% don’t feel empowered to make long-term strategic calls—pointing to serious problems in many CIO-CEO relationships.
Modernization funding falling short
Only 36% of CIOs believe their business is investing adequately in modernizing IT infrastructure. 41% say investment is falling short, and 23% are unsure—a clear indicator that modernization is being talked about more than it’s being funded.
Innovation disconnect
CIOs might assume that their CEO loves innovation like they do. But in fact CEOs worry that their CIOs are too eager to adopt emerging tech without fully weighing costs or disruption. What company leaders want instead is a “rational” approach from CIOs who “police innovation,” avoid “new toys,” and prioritize business value over buzz.