Technology OfficerPulse Survey2018

Korn Ferry’s Global Technology Officers Practice surveyed 199 Technology Officers (Chief Information,

Technology and Digital Officers) on a variety of topics to understand their perspective on the role and the major

trends impacting the technology function.

As the role of Technology Officers continues to grow in importance and stature, the 2018 Technology Officer

Pulse Survey shows the function may not be fully understood or appreciated by organizational leaders.

The vast majority of respondents (83%) say their role is more strategic than it was three years ago, and 81% say

they are experiencing greater exposure and playing a greater role with customers, products and services. Sixty-

seven percent say they are on their company’s executive committee, which is up from 55% in a Korn Ferry survey

conducted the year prior.

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3%

6%

10%

39%

42%

I am experiencing greater exposure and playing a greater role with customers and

products/services.

Strongly disagree

Somewhat disagree

Neither agree ordisagree

Somewhat agree

Strongly agree

1%

8%

8%

31%

52%

My role is viewed as more strategic today than compared to 3 years ago.

Strongly disagree

Somewhat disagree

Neither agree ordisagree

Somewhat agree

Strongly agree

1

However, when asked about their CEO’s perceptions of the Technology Officer function, nearly one third (32%) say

their CEO does not fully understand the role, and 38% believe the CEO and Board still see the Technology Officer

function as more of a cost center than revenue generator.

“A high-impact and strategic technology function should absolutely be seen as a business enabler as it can help

with customer attraction, interaction and retention, and can establish efficient and effective business outcomes,”

said Craig Stephenson, Korn Ferry managing director, North America Technology Officers Practice. “If Technology

Officers feel their role is undervalued, lacking alignment across the executive committee or challenged in securing

adequate funding to address key issues, it is possible they reach a level of frustration and ultimately leave.

Technology Officers want to drive impact and results across the enterprise, especially with more responsibilities

related to the digital agenda.”

In the study, 38% of respondents said they plan on staying in their role for only two years or less, with 19% saying

they plan on staying less than a year. This could prove problematic, as 44% disagree that there is a “ready now”

successor for their position.

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12%

26%

26%

29%

7%

The role of the Technology Officer is now viewed by the Board and CEO as more of a revenue generator than a cost center.

Strongly disagree

Somewhat disagree

Neither agree or disagree

Somewhat agree

Strongly agree

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19% 19%20%

11%

20%

11%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Less than 1 year 1-2 years 2-3 years 3-4 years More than 4 years Unsure

How long do you plan to stay in your current position?

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“It is imperative that organizations identify strong successors for high performing Technology Officers and based on

the complexity and importance of the function, we are seeing this topic discussed much more frequently,” said

Stephenson. “The impact and scope of the Technology Officer continues to evolve at a rapid pace and we foresee

the function playing an even greater role in the years to come.”

When asked what most keeps them up at night, the largest percentage (28%) said a threat of cyber-attacks or

cyber security breaches, followed by recruiting and retaining top talent. © 2018 Korn Ferry. All rights reserved

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25%

19%

9%

37%

10%

To what extent you agree that there is an internal “ready now” successor for your position?

Strongly disagree

Somewhat disagree

Neither agree or disagree

Somewhat agree

Strongly agree

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1%

2%

3%

3%

4%

7%

11%

14%

18%

28%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

Pressure from investors

My Board’s resistance to necessary changes

My CEO’s resistance to necessary changes

Lack of organizational alignment, which negativelyimpacts priorities and business requirements

Other

Compliance and regulatory requirements

My company’s resistance to necessary changes

Realigning resources with the overall businessstrategy

Recruiting and retaining top talent

Threat of cyber-attacks/cyber security breach

What most keeps you up at night?

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“It is critically important to have talented, agile technology team members in key roles across the organization, and

to create a clear path for advancement so these people have a reason to stay,” said Stephenson. “It’s imperative

that the top Technology Officers create a culture where employees are rewarded and recognized for great work.”

As for their own career plans, the largest percentage of Technology Officers (34%) say their next ideal move would

be to become a CIO at a larger company. Only 4% said they want to be CEO, and 86% disagree that they are in fact

a successor to the CEO.

Methodology

About the Survey

The global survey of 199 Technology Officers (Chief Information, Technology and Digital Officers) took place in late

2017.

About Korn Ferry

Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm. We help companies design their organization – the structure,

the roles and responsibilities, as well as how they compensate, develop and motivate their people. As importantly,

we help organizations select and hire the talent they need to execute their strategy. Our approximately 7,000

colleagues serve clients in more than 50 countries.

About Korn Ferry’s Technology Officers Practice

Korn Ferry’s Information Technology Officers Center of Expertise specializes in assisting companies to recruit,

develop, and retain best-in-class leaders. Today’s Chief Information Officer has advanced from the Data Processing

Director role of the late 20th century to an important C-suite executive by driving growth and creating strategic

value for the organization and its stakeholders. With the emergence of the Cloud, Big Data, mobile apps, social

networking, and digital services, today’s Technology Officers face increasing demands to be innovative, learning

agile, and offer transformative leadership. Korn Ferry offers a full suite of talent solutions for IT officer roles,

including strategic search from a global pool of exceptional candidates, competency and simulation-based

assessments, executive coaching, onboarding success support, high-potential development programs, readiness

development, and succession planning.

94

69

36

© 2017 Korn Ferry. All rights reserved

104 Public Company TOs 95 Private Company TOs

86 Business to

Business (B2B)

70 Business to

Consumer (B2C)

41 Equally

Both

• Data was collected between September and October 2017

• TOs were surveyed via email invitation and an online survey

• Respondents were diverse, representing TOs across many functional contexts

Global

Remit

Regional

Remit

National

Remit

112> $1.5BRevenue

87 < $1.5B

Revenue

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