Comments on: CIO role under thumb of CFO? http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/total-cio/cio-careers-cfo-wants-control-of-it-if-he-says-so-himself/ A SearchCIO.com blog Sat, 11 May 2013 17:51:37 +0000 hourly 1 By: Mgagas http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/total-cio/cio-careers-cfo-wants-control-of-it-if-he-says-so-himself/#comment-550 Mgagas Fri, 14 May 2010 18:23:04 +0000 http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/total-cio/?p=1313#comment-550 Hi Linda,
Your insights are interesting. I think the strategic and financial perspectives are synergistic, for example, portfolio management approaches to prioritizing, deploying technology is a useful methodology that serves both perspectives.

I’ve found that CFO and financial executives, like IT executives, come from two schools. One that earns their seat at the table in running the business, formulating strategic direction, executing, and those that run their function well. When the latter is in the drivers seat, regardless of their functional discipline, all is right with the world.

Thoughts for a Friday. Nice report!
Regards

]]> By: KimBatson http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/total-cio/cio-careers-cfo-wants-control-of-it-if-he-says-so-himself/#comment-549 KimBatson Fri, 14 May 2010 16:50:58 +0000 http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/total-cio/?p=1313#comment-549 Linda, I would agree with your thoughts. It is my opinion that this particular survey is perhaps a reflection of two things:

1) The recession and companies’ tightening their belts accordingly and perhaps moving some IT organizations under the CFO for now.

2) The data, however (as you mention), came from Finance execs., albeit with Gartner involved, so there may well be some empire-building here. (Hence different results from SIM members last year.)

All in all, CIOs in my experience have more flexibility to be innovative when reporting directly to CEOs and COOs and not underneath CFOs (who, of course, often simply view IT as a cost-center).

So we’ll see what future surveys reveal…but all in all, I wouldn’t be too concerned about this one, as you allude to.

Kim Batson, The CIO Coach
http://cio-coach.com
Twitter: @cio_coach

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