Gartner Executive Program: Der Aufbau einer starken Beziehung zwischen dem CFO und dem CIO führt zu stärkerer wirtschaftlicher Leistungkraft

·                     More strategic planning — When the CFO and CIO have achieved a common understanding of the business model, business priorities and each other's role, time together can be spent on genuine strategic planning to maximise the benefits of information and IT, rather than more-tactical, operational issues.

In 2008, 23 per cent of CIOs report to the CFO, while 38 per cent report to the CEO.  Gartner EXP data from 2002 to 2008 shows a very gradual upward trend in the proportion of CIOs reporting to the CFO, as well as CIOs' expectation of reporting to the CFO in three years' time. If this trend continues, by 2013 it would result in more CIOs reporting to CFOs than to CEOs.

"CIOs' three-year expectations remain distant from the reality, based on their belief that reporting is driven by IT performance," Mr Aron said. "In fact, there are multiple drivers of the CIO's reporting line, including the focus of the CEO and perceptions of IT's role.  Our survey shows that cost focus is not a dominant driver of whether the CIO reports to the CFO; it is a similar business priority for CFO-reporting and CEO-reporting CIOs."

In general, reporting to the CFO is less attractive if IT-intensive transformation is critical to the success of the organisation, if the CFO is focused on finances (and therefore less strategic), or if IT is relatively stable and mature.  CFO reporting is more attractive if IT is in an immature state, if the CEO is very outward facing (sometimes the case in the public sector) or has too many direct reports, or if the CFO has a broad scope that includes a deep understanding of IT's value.

"Where IT fundamentals are strong and the CIO is looking to add the next level of value, CFO reporting often creates a challenge in that CIOs must work harder to break out of the IT box," Mr Aron said.  "There are two clear pieces of evidence for this.  First, only 45 per cent of CFO-reporting CIOs have leadership roles outside of IT, compared with 63 per cent of CEO-reporting CIOs.  Second, CFO-reporting CIOs spend one day less per month with the board and senior executives than do CEO-reporting CIOs."

"The message here is not that CFO-reporting CIOs are doomed to failure," Mr Aron said.  "Rather, it is that these CIOs need a focused plan to break out of the box, which should include influencing the CFO to be more IT-savvy and to understand the CIO's full capabilities as a contributor."

Mr Aron will provide more-detailed analysis on the CFO-CIO alliance at the upcoming Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2008, taking place on 3-7 November, Cannes, France. Gartner Symposium/ITxpo is the IT industry's largest and most strategic conference, providing business leaders with a look at the future of IT. More than 3,000 senior business and IT strategists will gather for the insights, tools and solutions they need to ensure their IT initiatives are key contributors to and drivers of their enterprise’s success. Gartner's annual Symposium/ITxpo events are key components of attendees’ annual planning efforts. They rely on Gartner Symposium/ITxpo to gain insight into how their organisations can use IT to address business challenges and improve operational efficiency. Additional information is available at www.gartner.com/eu/symposiumfall

Members of Gartner EXP can access the report "Building a Powerful Alliance With Your CFO."  The report examines the potential for a more powerful alliance that drives enterprise performance.  The report explains how CIOs can evolve their relationships with CFOs to generate the most success for the organisation, and for the CFO and CIO. The report also provides case studies that show clear examples of well-functioning operational relationships.

Gartner Executive Programs (EXP) is a membership-based organization of more than 3,600 CIOs worldwide. Members benefit from the convenience of a single source of knowledge, one-to-one counsel, personalized service, the shared knowledge of the world's largest community of CIOs, and the assurance of Gartner objectivity and insight. Additional information about Gartner EXP can be found on the Gartner Web site at www.gartner.com/exp.