2012 board of directors survey€¦ · • IT and sales are tied for the top two investment priorities. • Eighty-six percent believe that IT’s strategic contribution to the business

in association with:

2012 board of directors survey

stay in balance

Our second annual survey of board directors reveals board priorities and sentiments that

are useful for business executive planning and fund-raising efforts. Although the business

outlook is confusing, the results indicate that board directors are still willing to invest in

growth and especially IT.

Key findings• The top business priority of survey respondents is attracting new customers.

• The fastest-rising priority is pursuing greater diversity in the business portfolio.

• Of respondents, 50% agree with the statement, “In our industry, we see IT as a way to

change the rules of competition.”

• IT and sales are tied for the top two investment priorities.

• Eighty-six percent believe that IT’s strategic contribution to the business will increase by 2014.

• While 62% of respondents are proactively preparing for a market upturn, 54% are preparing

for a market recession.

• Those responding to the economy that the “worst is behind us” rose from 24% in 2011 to

40% in 2012.

• Companies concentrating on cost reduction rose from 12% in 2011 to 33% in 2012.

recommendations• With high expectations of tough times ahead, select those proposals that will change

the rules of competition for your industry and make them “board ready.” Now is the time

to capture the advantage.

• Balance your strategic plans with a strong emphasis on cutting or managing enterprise costs,

while equally stressing investments in competitive advantage.

© 9999 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Gartner is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. or its affiliates. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without Gartner’s prior written permission. The information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Gartner disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information and shall have no liability for errors omissions or inad-equacies in such information. This publication consists of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. The opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice. Although Gartner research may include a discussion of related legal issues, Gartner does not provide legal advice or services and its research should not be construed or used as such. Gartner is a public company, and its shareholders may include firms and funds that have financial interests in entities covered in Gartner research. Gartner’s Board of Directors may include senior managers of these firms or funds. Gartner research is produced independently by its research organization without input or influence from these firms, funds or their managers. For further information on the inde-pendence and integrity of Gartner research, see “Guiding Principles on Independence and Objectivity” on its website, http://www.gartner.com/technology/about/ ombudsman/omb_guide2.jsp

Unless otherwise noted, data depicted in this report includes only respondents with $250 million or more in revenue.

1

1

2 | 2012 BOArD OF DIrecTOrs survey: sTay IN BalaNCE

Analysis ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Economic Conditions ............................................................................................................................................................5

Implications and Actions .......................................................................................................................................... 6

Business Priorities ..................................................................................................................................................................7


Observations on Competitive advantage, Markets, Growth and Organizations .............................................................................................................................. 9


Attitude Toward IT ............................................................................................................................................................... 12

Implications and Actions ......................................................................................................................................... 12

Appendix .................................................................................................................................................................................14

Recommended Reading ...................................................................................................................................................16

table of contents

MethodoloGy

During February and March of 2012, Gartner and Forbes surveyed a sample of board directors regarding their perceptions of the key business issues facing their organizations and the contemporary aspect of their attitudes toward IT.

The survey was fielded via the Web and achieved a sample of 175 respondents. The results presented in this report are primarily from a subset of 50 respondents —those in organizations of $250 million or more in annual revenue. From organization with revenues of $250 million or more 64% work in North America, 26% in eMeA, 6% in Asia/Pacific and 4% in Latin America.

respondents for this segment included 50 board directors, 26% of whom were ceOs or managing directors, 24% were chairpeople, 24% were nonexecutive board members, 22% were in executive management, and 4% held other types of positions in their organizations.

COPyrIghT © 2012 Forbes InsIghts | 3

Figure 1: CEOs’ Views of Economic Downturn Impact on Their Businesses ................5

Figure 2: Organizations’ Outlook for growth in 2012 and 2014 ............................................................6

Figure 3: Focus on Cost reduction Versus Revenue Growth ...........................................................6

Figure 4: Board Priorities 2012 ................................ 7

Figure 5: Fastest Risers and Decliners: Pursuing Portfolio Diversity, New Markets and Cultural Change ....................................................8

Figure 6: Organizations’ strategy for Market Competition ....................................................................9

Figure 7: Organizations’ strategy for growth Versus survival ............................................ 10

Figure 8: IT as a Competitive advantage ......... 10

Figure 9: Possible Future Business Strategies .........................................................................11

Figure 10: IT’s strategic Contribution Changes ...........................................................................12

Figure 11: Investment Priorities ..............................13

Figure 12: Technology adoption Profile .............13

Figure 13: Number of Boards served ................. 14

Figure 14: Employment status .............................. 14

Figure 15: respondent Work location .............. 14

Figure 16: location headquarters ....................... 14

Figure 17: revenue/Profit generated Outside Corporate headquarters ..........................15

Figure 18: Board Director role ...............................15

Figure 19: Organization Structure .........................15

Figure 20: Company size by Annual Revenue .....................................................15

Figure 21: Primary Industry .................................... 16

Figure 22: Company size by Number of Employees ................................................................ 16

list of fiGures


analysis

The gartner-Forbes 2012 Board of Directors survey, which was conducted in the first quarter

of 2012 largely in the U.s. and the U.K., shows that board directors are prioritizing customers,

core competencies and competitive advantage. In the midst of that, they are also acknowl-

edging that they have a top priority to invest in IT (tied with sales for investment) and leverage

IT for competitive advantage. These forward-looking and proactive attitudes are being made

despite the response that more than half of the respondents are preparing for a market reces-

sion. It says that the investments they plan to make are essential to growth and even survival,

and that they are willing to throw the investment gauntlet down now, rather than later. This

raises risks, but it is also a prior gartner finding that, in a recession, any changes that occur in

market position in an industry are likely to persist. This means that organizations must weigh

the defensive risks of inaction versus the offensive risks of action. This story will likely play out

in the coming year.

This report is the long, data-intensive form of the survey results for those interested in drilling more deeply into the numbers. The key areas of focus for this year’s survey are:

• Competitive strategy and competitive advantage• IT as competitive advantage• Investment priorities• Comparisons to the Gartner-Forbes 2011 Board of Directors Survey• Attitudes toward markets, strategy, IT and competitive strategy

The primary audience for this research is board directors, CEOs, CIOs, and other senior executives and business leaders interested in understanding how to better serve the interests of the board of directors.


econoMic conditions

When it comes to how the economy will affect revenue, a majority of respondents were very confident that they would see revenue growth to the end of 2012 and 2014, with 94% being somewhat confident to very confident about growth (see Figure 2).

Although a business can do more than one thing at a time, the performance of the business is in question, while dividing its attention among several priorities. For 2012, expect the CIO’s job to be both cutting costs and build-ing investments. Success will be measured on how well the balancing of these two priorities sustains the performance of the enterprise. Go too far either way and risk getting caught as the winds of economic change shift.

As a means of understanding the trade-off board direc-tors place on cost reduction versus revenue growth, we asked them to tell us the direction of their expectations. Of the respondents, 60% were focused mostly on reve-nue growth, while 8% said they were completely focused on revenue growth. That was in contrast to the 32% who were mostly or completely focused on cost reduction, a significant fraction of the total. It further reinforces the perception that the board respondents are trying to have it both ways, and that these are confusing times. They are emphasizing their concerns that lead to cutting costs, but they are still expecting to grow (see Figure 3).

Which of the following best describes your personal outlook for the current 2012 global economy?

40%

10%

50%

n Things are still tough, and will be for a while

n The worst is behind us, and the economy is now on the upswing

n The worst is still ahead

FIgure 1: CEOs’ Views of Economic Downturn Impact on their Businesses

It may be the most difficult maneuver in business—staying vigilant regarding the costs of the

organization and playing defense, while summoning the focus to stay on the offense to invest,

compete and grow. This year’s survey shows that, in the face of highly publicized risks of a

European banking crisis, a developing U.s. sovereign debt crisis and a China slowdown, 40% of

board directors believe that the worst is behind them and that the economy is on the upswing.

This compares to 50% who said that things are tough and will be for a while. If you count the

10% who believe the worst is still ahead, you have almost two-thirds of board directors expect-

ing tough times ahead as a minimum condition for the economy (see Figure 1).


IMPLIcATIONs AND AcTIONsGartner’s 2012 CEO survey called this the “year of living hesitantly.” For board directors, the phrase that describes the current condition is “stay in balance.” We have a world that is defined by the need to watch costs closely, while demonstrating and executing on a willingness to invest. Organizations will need to segment the investments that will pay off in the longer term from those that will pay off in the coming 12 to 24 months. In a volatile investment marketplace, the payoff for being right in these investment decisions can be great. The punishment for being wrong can be devastating, with little margin for error ahead. It will be important to think of contingencies in each invest-ment case until the market uncertainty is more moderate.

Because it is difficult to maintain two different stances at the same time—one of cutting costs and one of investing in growth—board directors will be looking for a balance in performance. This will allow a focus on growth and costs. For the IT organization, it is best to maintain two teams, where each has a different mission. The first would keep an eye on controlling costs and would probably be the larger of the two for a while. The second would keep an eye on building initiatives that would deliver on the growth and competitive aspirations of the enterprise. These would be focused teams intent on delivering competitive advan-tage for the institution. Balancing the investments and performance of the two represents a significant manage-rial challenge. When building this, prepare for a time ahead when growth will stand out more than cost reduction.

Thinking of your organization’s current business strategy, to what extent is your organization focused on cost reduction and/or revenue growth?

60%

26%

68%

60%

$250M+<$250M

Total

65%

n Completely focused on cost reduction

n Mostly focused on cost reduction

n Mostly focused on revenue growth

n Completely focused on revenue growth

FIgure 3: Focus on Cost reduction Versus Revenue Growth

8%13% 16%6%

6%

6% 8%

18%

FIgure 2: Organizations’ Outlook for growth in 2012 and 2014

8%

6%

34%

34%

56%

60%

Revenue growth through the end of 2012 compared to 2011

Revenue growth through the end of 2014 compared to 2012

n Not confident at all n Not very confident n somewhat confident n Very confident

how would you assess your level of confidence in your organization’s prospects for revenue growth through the end of 2012 and 2014 compared to 2011?

2%


business Priorities

The top five priorities are:• Attracting new customers• Retaining and enhancing existing customers• Focusing on core competencies• Maintaining competitive advantage• Fostering innovation

As in the case of the survey last year, the top spots are dominated with issues that have a direct connection to revenue and profit. The dynamics of this list from one

year to the next also provide some insights. The list of the fastest risers, for example, points to the rise of pursuing greater diversity in the business portfolio. This is usually a move to reduce the overall risk of an enterprise.

Second among the fast risers is moving into new prod-uct or service markets. This is an entrepreneurial statement —one that expects growth to be from areas outside the current catalog of offerings and markets.

Third among the fastest risers is changing corporate culture and values. It makes sense that some corporate

business Priorities 2012 2011

Attracting new customers 1 3

Retaining and enhancing existing customers

2 2

Focusing on core competencies 3 4

Maintaining competitive advantage 4 1

Fostering innovation 5 5

Building new competencies 6 7

Moving into new product or service markets

7 12

Moving into new geographical markets 8 8

Increasing speed to market 9 9

Improving the financial structure of the firm

10 13

Pursuing greater diversity in business portfolio

11 18

Improving the board’s risk oversight 12 *

Changing the expected rate if return for shareholders

13 10

Responding to regulatory changes 14 11

Instituting or strengthening corporate governance

15 14

business Priorities 2012 2011

Restructuring the corporate risk tolerance 16 16

Strengthening anti-fraud compliance programs

17 *

Developing a succession plan 18 6

Changing corporate culture and values 19 24

Changing the business model 20 20

Restructuring the executive management team

21 15

Strengthening or pursuing greater workforce diversity

22 17

Increasing the amount of board oversight of executive management

23 22

Extending corporate social responsibility and philanthropic activity

24 25

Restructuring executive compensation 25 23

Instituting or renewing green policies 26 21

Pursuing greater business focus and divesting the portfolio

27 26

Initiating or growing the amount of political lobbying in different regions

28 27

Transitioning to a new CEO 29 19

Selling the company 30 28

Figure 4: Board Priorities 2012

as in 2011, we asked board directors to rate each of 30 different choices from extremely low

importance to extremely high importance. Figure 4 provides clear insights on direction.


cultures are in need of making changes, especially in light of agreement by 68% of survey respondents with the fol-lowing question: “The changes arising from current economic uncertainty are so deep and persistent that many companies and industries will have to redesign their busi-ness models.”

The fastest decliners are developing a succession plan, transitioning to a new CEO and restructuring the execu-tive management team. Grouped together, it indicates a reduction in the board’s perceived risk in retaining their CEO and executive team (see Figure 5).

IMPLIcATIONs AND AcTIONsWith this set of business priorities and their dynamics, the movement is toward the following:

• Issues of risk, entrepreneurship and change are rising, and may get on the radar of the top priorities in com-ing years.

• With so many CEO tenure-related concerns declin-ing, boards will feel safe enough to a take a longer-term approach.

In looking at the fastest riser of the group—pursu-ing greater diversity in business portfolio—diversification strategies have a mixed history. They seem to work best when the diversification is made along lines that build on strengths, as in the move to develop core competencies. They work less well when they violate one of the invest-ment axioms made famous by Warren Buffet, “Never invest in anything you don’t understand.” In any event, many boards find this a compelling way to reduce their exposure to economic volatility. If the diversification is done through a merger and acquisition versus an organic approach, then the IT organization should be well-organized to reduce the time and costs of integration—especially sys-tem integration. If it is an organic move, then there may be opportunities for the CIO to discover opportunities to lead entrepreneurial efforts and drive revenue growth for the enterprise.

On the other end of the ledger, the fastest decliners are led by developing a succession plan, restructuring executive com-pensation and transitioning to a new CEO. These indicate that

the board is increasingly comfortable that it has the right CEO.For the IT organization, the best approach will be to do

the following:• Focus its strategy on initiatives that will lead to the

improvement of the top priorities, including new customers, existing customers, core competencies, competitive advantage and fostering innovation.

• Take a longer-term perspective for projects. Some of the truly differentiating projects are large-scale improvements in infrastructure, such as mobile, social, information and cloud, which will require major changes in company culture to take advantage of them.

• Include a key initiative in the IT strategic plan to build up the business and information architectures that will pro-mote the flexibility needed in the uncertain world ahead.

FIgure 5: Fastest risers and Decliners: Pursuing Portfolio Diversity, New Markets and Cultural Change

Pursuing greater diversity in the

business portfolio

Moving into new product or service markets

changing the corporate culture and

values

Developing a succession plan

Transitioning to a new ceO

restructuring the executive management

team


observations on: competitive advantage, Markets, Growth and organizations

Some of these key areas of interest include:• Strategy and competitive advantage• Market competition (see Figure 6)• Growth versus survival (see Figure 7)• IT as competitive advantage (see Figure 8)• Possible future business strategies (see Figure 9)

FIgure 6: Organizations’ strategy for Market Competition

n 1: strongly disagree n 2 n 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 n 7: Strongly agree

To what extent do you agree with the following statements, as they relate to your organization’s strategy for market competition?

16%

8%

10%

6%

10%

18%

6%

18%

16%

20%

16%

20%

18%

28%

34%

30%

22%

10%

20%

16%

6%

10%

12%

6%

12%

6%

We see economic difficulty or recession as a time to improve our marketshare and competitive position

We are intent on changing the rules of competition in the industry and will invest heavily to do so

We set our own direction. We don’t pay attention to competition

We are intent on survival in a time of volatility. We are trying to stay with our competitors

2%4.78

4.38

3.86

3.68

4%

Percentage of respondents

Mean

Board directors were asked to respond to questions that help understand their stance regarding

some key areas of interest.


FIgure 7: Organizations’ strategy for growth Versus survival


To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?

My organization is proactively preparing strategies to be ready for an economic upturn

My organization is proactively preparing strategies to be ready for an economic downturn or recession

My organization is most concerned with surviving the current economic uncertainty

5.06

4.50

3.86


Mean

4%6% 28% 24% 18% 20%

4%6% 16% 20% 30% 12% 12%

6% 12% 22% 34% 8% 12% 6%

FIgure 8: IT as a Competitive advantage


The following question asks how you view IT in your organization with regard to competitive advantage. Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements to the extent they apply to your organization.

We start with people first, and IT provides the tools they need to compete

Whether it is our supply chain, our customer experience or our internal processes, we rely on IT to help get the greatest productivity we can as a company

In our industry, we see IT as a way to change the rules of competition

Our strategic planning relies on our ability to put new technology into service ahead of our competition

IT for us is like the phone system. You need it but after it works, you just want the costs to go down

5.02

4.92

4.56

4.52

3.90


Mean

2% 2%6% 24% 28% 20% 18%

2%2%12% 22% 28% 16% 18%

2%8% 16% 24% 18% 20% 12%

2%14% 36% 16% 20% 8%

6% 20% 14% 22% 22% 8% 8%

4%

The most significant findings that emerge from the questions are:

• While 62% of the respondents are proactively preparing for a global market upturn, another 54% are preparing for a global market recession.

• Sixty-six percent agree with the statement, “We see eco-nomic difficulty or recession as a time to improve our market share and competitive position.”

• Sixty-six percent agree with the statement, “We start with people first, and IT provides the tools they need to compete.”

• Fifty percent agree with the statement, “In our industry, we see IT as a way to change the rules of competition.”


IMPLIcATIONs AND AcTIONsThere are many implications to this portion of the survey, especially the following:

• Boards seeking for ways to build or extend their competitive advantage will look to IT as a source of that advantage.

• IT-enabled business models will be useful as advances in technology continue to gain ground.

• The reputation of IT as a means to improve produc-tivity persists and will be a useful place to propose new investments for the company.

The CIO should take the following actions:• Continue to examine how to liberate budget allo-

cations through improved efficiencies, so that the innovation and core competency investments priori-tized by the board of directors are maintained.

• Make your business case proposals start with business goals and the culture of the people in the organiza-tion to build support from the board.

• Examine how IT can change the business model for your industry in a manner that will change the rules of competition.

FIgure 9: Possible Future Business strategies

Please rate your level of agreement with the following statements related to possible future business strategies taken as a result of current regulations and economic uncertainty on a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 means “strongly disagree” and 7 means “strongly agree.”

There will be a major wave of merger and acquisition activity through 2012, as the weak are taken over by the strong

Mean

n 1: strongly disagree n 2 n 3 n 4 n 5 n 6 n 7: Strongly agree n Don’t know

The changes arising from current economic uncertainty are so deep and persistent that many companies and industries will have to redesign their business models

The next decade will be far more volatile and unpredictable than the previous one

Compliance with anticipated new government regulations will create a material increase in our operating costs in 2013

Compliance with anticipated new government regulations will create a material increase in our operating costs in 2012

IT-enabled changes will be a key element in our post-recession strategy

5.32

5.31

5.30

5.20

5.18

5.00


8% 22% 24% 20% 24%2%

8% 26% 24% 18% 22%2%

6% 20% 32% 18% 20%2%

6% 12% 30% 28% 20%4%

10% 22% 30% 14% 20%4%

8% 16% 22% 24% 26%2%2%


attitude toward it

That sense of expectation is matched by the priority placed on investing in IT at the board level. Alongside investment priorities in sales, IT ranks No. 1 (see Figure 11).

It is interesting to see that 86% of respondents see them-selves as either mainstream or aggressive in technology adoption. The number that see themselves as aggressive in this sample is also significant at 36%, which is more than double the percentage from our 2011 survey (see Figure 12).

IMPLIcATIONs AND AcTIONsBoard directors have high expectations ahead from their investments in IT, and place IT investment as a high prior-ity as well. This may not translate into larger IT budgets, however, because, while some businesses find themselves awash in cash, many others are limited in their resources and are making allocations from a small resource pool. In the case where a company is cash rich, a CIO can expect that the investment in IT will rise to match the external growth prospects of the organization. The key caution is that the growth in investment in IT should not far exceed the growth of business revenue without a consensus from the board or a strong supportive stance by the CEO.For the companies that have cash, the IT organizational actions should focus on executing the IT strategic plan as effectively as possible. For companies short on cash, the emphasis is on taking the hybrid approach—continue to cut costs, while investing in growth for the future.

18%

14%

26%

42%

86%

how do you expect IT’s strategic contribution to your organization’s business to be different in the next two years, compared with the past two years?

n Increase slightly

n Increase moderately

n Increase significantly

n No change

n IT’s strategic contribution to their organization’s business will increase in the next two years

FIgure 10: IT’s strategic Contribution Changes

The result of our investigation into the attitudes toward IT shows sustained interest from 2011 to

2012. This is especially demonstrated in the question about the improved strategic contribution

from IT in 2014. Eighty-six percent of board respondents believe that the strategic contribution of

IT to the business will increase in the next two years, with 18% believing it will increase significantly

(see Figure 10).


FIgure 11: Investment Priorities

n Decrease n Stay the same n Increase

Compared to fiscal-year 2011, to what extent will investments change in fiscal-year 2012 for each of the following areas?

10% 26% 64%

10% 26% 64%

8% 30% 62%

10% 28% 62%

12% 30% 58%

16% 28% 56%

10% 36% 54%

10% 38% 52%

12% 36% 52%

8% 44% 48%

28% 24% 48%

12% 42% 46%

18% 36% 46%

20% 34% 46%

10% 48% 42%

28% 34% 38%

IT

Sales

Product enhancement

Partnerships, alliances and value networks

Risk management

R&D

Marketing

Corporate governance

People and culture development

Capital equipment

Legal and compliance

Staff (hiring)

Executive compensation

Global expansion

Business services

Intellectual property

Property and facilities

36% 60%4%

<$250M (n = 120)

$250M- <$500M (n = 11)

$500M+ (n = 39)

n Decrease

n Stay the same

n Increase

9%

63%

55% 27%

28%

67%

25%8%

18%

Investment in It by size

Which of the following best describes your organization’s typical technology profile?

50%

14%

36%n Conservative

n Mainstream

n Aggressive

FIgure 12: Technology adoption Profile

Note: $250MM+ Only


aPPendiX

The following demographic data from the gartner Forbes 2012 Board of Directors survey

includes only those survey respondents in organizations with $250 million or more in annual

revenues (see Figures 13 through 22).

how many boards do you serve?

26%

18%

28%

8%

6%

14%n 1

n 2

n 3

n 4

n 5

n 6

n 7 or more

FIgure 13: Number of Boards served

Mean: Three boards

Which of the following best describes your present employment status?

78%

10%

10%

n Employed full time

n Employed part time

n Retired

n Other

FIgure 14: Employment status

2%

31%

14%

n U.K.

n U.S.

n Finland

n India

n Ireland

n Jamaica

n Qatar

In which country is your primary workplace located?

FIgure 15: respondent Work location

1%1%1%1%

1%

32%

11%

n U.K.

n U.S.

n Argentina

n Australia

n India

n Ireland

n Jamaica

n Japan

n Qatar

In which country is your organization’s corporate headquarters located?

FIgure 16: location headquarters

1%1%1%1%1%

1%1%


Which of the following best describes your role on the board?

26%

22%

24%

24%

n Chairperson

n CEO/Managing director

n Outside director (nonexecutive board member)

n Inside director (executive management)

n Staff

n Consultant

FIgure 18: Board Director role

2%2%

10%

32%

58%

n Publicly traded company

n Privately held company

n Nonprofit institution

What is the structure of the organization for which you serve as a board member?

FIgure 19: Organization Structure

Which of the following represents the approximate revenue for fiscal-year 2011 of your organization, worldwide, including all subsidiaries and franchises? your best estimate is fine.

26%

22%

26%

n $250M to less than $500M

n $500M to less than $1B

n $1B to less than $5B




n $50B or more

FIgure 20: Company size by annual revenue

4%6%

8%

8%

What percentage of revenue/profits in fiscal-year 2011 were generated outside the nation where the corporate headquarters is located?

FIgure 17: revenue/Profit generated Outside Corporate headquarters

48%22%22%

8%

Revenue

Profits

n 0% to 25% n 26% to 50% n 51% to 75% n 76% to 100%


50%24%

20%6%

35.2%

32.2%

Mean


Which of the following ranges most closely represents the total number of employees in your organization worldwide? your best estimate is fine.

12%

8%

8%

n <100 employees

n 100 to 249 employees



n 1,000 to 4,999 employees

n 5,000 or more employees

FIgure 22: Company size by Number of Employees

12%

18%

42%

Which of the following most accurately represents your organization’s primary industry classification? If your organization participates in more than one industry, please select the one industry in which you are most involved.

FIgure 21: Primary Industry

Manufacturing & Natural Resources

Communications, Media & Services

Financial Services

Government

Insurance

Healthcare Providers

Transportation

Utilities

Other

recoMMended readinG

some documents may not be available as part of your current gartner subscription.

“cIO Advisory: The Board Needs the ‘I’ in ‘IT’; Gartner Interviews Ken Daly, ceO of the NAcD”

“Amplifying the enterprise: The 2012 cIO Agenda”

“cFOs see the Importance of Business Analytics Improvement, Gartner study Finds”

“ceO survey 2012: The year of Living Hesitantly”

30%

28%

18%

6%

4%

4%

4%

2%

4%

source: all charts © gartner, June 2012

00 15 30

about forbes insiGhts

Forbes Insights is the strategic research practice of Forbes Media, publisher of Forbes magazine and Forbes.com. Taking advantage of a proprietary database of senior-level executives in the Forbes community, Forbes Insights’ research covers a wide range of vital business issues, including: talent management; marketing; financial benchmarking; risk and regulation; small/midsize business; and more.

Bruce rogers chief insiGhts officer

Brenna sniderman senior director

christiaan rizy director

Kasia Moreno editorial director

Michael L. Millenson rePort author

Zehava Blechner desiGner

60 fifth avenue, new york, ny 10011 | 212.366.8890 | www.forbes.com/forbesinsights

Documents

2012 board of directors survey€¦ · • IT and sales are tied for the top two investment priorities. • Eighty-six percent believe that IT’s strategic contribution to the business