CIOs at high-performing companies (HPCs) are distinguished from their peers by five practices: prioritizing performance and growth over cost, valuing relationships with the CFO and business unit leaders over the CEO, investing in developing talent, focusing on customer experience as a competitive differentiator, and linking cybersecurity investments to growth and customers. As a result, CIOs at HPCs have more budget control, strategic input, credibility and influence within their organizations.
Executive Summary
Employee engagement has become a top business priority for senior executives. In this rapid
cycle economy, business leaders know that having a high-performing workforce is essential
for growth and survival. They recognize that a highly engaged workforce can increase innovation,
productivity,
and bottom-line
performance
while reducing
costs related
to
hiring
and
retention
in highly competitive
talent
markets.
But while most executives see a clear need to improve employee engagement, many have
yet to develop tangible ways to measure and tackle this goal. However, a growing group of
best-in-class companies says they are gaining competitive advantage through establishing
metrics and practices to effectively quantify and improve the impact of their engagement
initiatives on overall business performance.
Strategic People Management for the 21st CenturyAdrian Boucek
The challenge from an HR standpoint is that 20th century tools and approaches don’t work in the fast-changing, 21st century workplace. Strategic people management – where HR initiatives are directly tied to business goals – is critical.
Ibm smarter workforce Unlock the people equation using workforce analytics to...Pauline Mura
Enabling the workforce to drive the business
IBM Talent and Change services and Smarter Workforce
solutions combine market-leading talent management
and social collaboration tools with the power of workforce
science and advanced analytics. They enable
organizations to attract, engage and grow topperforming
talent, create an engaging social and
collaborative culture, and connect the right people to get
work done. We help organizations build an impassioned
and engaged workforce and deeper client relationships
leading to measurable business outcomes.
Working in partnership with businesses is an increasingly central strategic priority for many NGOs. Yet for every successful high profile partnership, there are many others that do not even get off the ground, or fail to deliver real value despite plenty of work on both sides. In this short Insights report, CoCreate Senior Consultant Andy Caldwell explores some of the emerging trends in NGO-Business Partnerships, specifically providing five key insights for NGOs and other organisations looking to partner with businesses.
To learn more about our work in the area of Corporate-NGO partnerships, check out our Corporate Partnership Essentials Webinar Training Course: http://www.cocreateconsultancy.com/events/webinar-training-course-corporate-partnership-essentials
Executive Summary
Employee engagement has become a top business priority for senior executives. In this rapid
cycle economy, business leaders know that having a high-performing workforce is essential
for growth and survival. They recognize that a highly engaged workforce can increase innovation,
productivity,
and bottom-line
performance
while reducing
costs related
to
hiring
and
retention
in highly competitive
talent
markets.
But while most executives see a clear need to improve employee engagement, many have
yet to develop tangible ways to measure and tackle this goal. However, a growing group of
best-in-class companies says they are gaining competitive advantage through establishing
metrics and practices to effectively quantify and improve the impact of their engagement
initiatives on overall business performance.
Strategic People Management for the 21st CenturyAdrian Boucek
The challenge from an HR standpoint is that 20th century tools and approaches don’t work in the fast-changing, 21st century workplace. Strategic people management – where HR initiatives are directly tied to business goals – is critical.
Ibm smarter workforce Unlock the people equation using workforce analytics to...Pauline Mura
Enabling the workforce to drive the business
IBM Talent and Change services and Smarter Workforce
solutions combine market-leading talent management
and social collaboration tools with the power of workforce
science and advanced analytics. They enable
organizations to attract, engage and grow topperforming
talent, create an engaging social and
collaborative culture, and connect the right people to get
work done. We help organizations build an impassioned
and engaged workforce and deeper client relationships
leading to measurable business outcomes.
Working in partnership with businesses is an increasingly central strategic priority for many NGOs. Yet for every successful high profile partnership, there are many others that do not even get off the ground, or fail to deliver real value despite plenty of work on both sides. In this short Insights report, CoCreate Senior Consultant Andy Caldwell explores some of the emerging trends in NGO-Business Partnerships, specifically providing five key insights for NGOs and other organisations looking to partner with businesses.
To learn more about our work in the area of Corporate-NGO partnerships, check out our Corporate Partnership Essentials Webinar Training Course: http://www.cocreateconsultancy.com/events/webinar-training-course-corporate-partnership-essentials
With advancing technologies, many organizations are focused more than ever on recruiting—particularly for skills they
need to succeed, such as expertise in data science, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. These hard-to-find and
hard-to-hire skills—like so many other skilled professions—cost a lot to recruit. With labor pools shrinking, retaining
talent at every level is critical. Recruiting is more expensive than retention, which can be optimized via training or
creating a culture of constant learning. Choosing recruitment over retention also has a negative effect on employees,
who are left to wonder why their work seems to have less value than that of a new employee.
In this environment, it becomes clear that value lies in the engagement of employees—making sure they are actively
contributing to the company while learning new skills and advancing their own careers. But how to measure something
as intangible as engagement?
Watson Helsby's Annual FTSE 100 Group Director of Corporate Communications/Af...Nick Helsby
Each year, to enhance our executive search advisory offer, Watson Helsby publishes a FTSE 100 Group Director of Corporate Communications/Affairs Survey. This provides an intriguing picture of everything from reporting lines and Executive Committee membership to the – ever fascinating – subject of remuneration. The 2018 Survey has just been published.
This has become the most comprehensive and insightful survey of its type, in terms of both the number of companies surveyed and the range of questions we ask/themes we investigate.
Findings include:
• 79% of FTSE 100s employ a Corporate Communications/Affairs Director, a decline year-on year of 2%.
• The percentage of FTSE 100 Corporate Communications/ Affairs Directors who are formal members of the Executive Committee has dropped to 49% this year (from 51%).
• Budgets are generally flat or down (90%). Given a number of factors, including the economic uncertainty created by Brexit. This compares with only 73% reporting flat or down in 2016/17.
• The year 2017/18 has, again, seen considerable change at the top, with 15 companies in the FTSE 100 making changes (vs. 20 the previous year and 16 the year before that). This means that 51 companies have changed their corporate communications/affairs director since 2015 or disbanded the role.
We would welcome any questions or comments.
Nick Helsby is the CEO of Watson Helsby, a specialist communications (external and internal) and corporate affairs/government relations executive search and leadership firm. He has over twenty years headhunting experience, in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa, placing senior communications, PR and corporate affairs professionals in some of the world’s leading organisations. He can be found at nickh@watsonhelsby.co.uk for any questions or comments.
The full report is available to download on http://www.watsonhelsby.co.uk/assets/files/FTSE_Report_2018.pdf
Watson Helsby's FTSE 100 Group Director of Corporate Communications / Affairs...Samantha Rogers
Each year, to enhance our executive search advisory offer, Watson Helsby publishes a FTSE 100 Group Director of Corporate Communications/Affairs Survey. This provides an intriguing picture of everything from reporting lines and Executive Committee membership to the – ever fascinating – subject of remuneration. The 2018 Survey has just been published.
This has become the most comprehensive and insightful survey of its type, in terms of both the number of companies surveyed and the range of questions we ask/themes we investigate.
Findings include:
• 79% of FTSE 100s employ a Corporate Communications/Affairs Director, a decline year-on year of 2%.
• The percentage of FTSE 100 Corporate Communications/ Affairs Directors who are formal members of the Executive Committee has dropped to 49% this year (from 51%).
• Budgets are generally flat or down (90%). Given a number of factors, including the economic uncertainty created by Brexit. This compares with only 73% reporting flat or down in 2016/17.
• The year 2017/18 has, again, seen considerable change at the top, with 15 companies in the FTSE 100 making changes (vs. 20 the previous year and 16 the year before that). This means that 51 companies have changed their corporate communications/affairs director since 2015 or disbanded the role.
We would welcome any questions or comments.
Nick Helsby is the CEO of Watson Helsby, a specialist communications (external and internal) and corporate affairs/government relations executive search and leadership firm. He has over twenty years headhunting experience, in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa, placing senior communications, PR and corporate affairs professionals in some of the world’s leading organisations. He can be found at nickh@watsonhelsby.co.uk for any questions or comments.
The full report is available to download on http://www.watsonhelsby.co.uk/assets/files/FTSE_Report_2018.pdf
Elevate your enterprise cfo role reportCor Ranzijn
Companies in virtually every industry are undergoing a secular change to new, platform- based businesses. To thrive, organizations need to digitally reinvent their enterprise business
and operating models. CFO"s continue to be instrumental in providing the analytical insights to help the enterprise invest capital into new opportunities. Essential to this process is a highly collaborative, in-synch C-suite. The CFO’s newest mandate – to help steer the strategic direction
of the enterprise and do so iteratively – requires changes to their finance organizations. Startlingly, nearly half of CFOs report their own finance organizations fall short of what’s required.
Since 1999, The Conference Board CEO Challenge® survey has asked CEOs across the globe to identify the most critical issues they face and their strategies to meet them. Since 2017, the C-Suite Challenge has expanded the survey pool beyond CEOs to the entire C-suite. This year’s survey, conducted between September and October 2019, asked 1,520 C-suite executives, including 740 CEOs across the globe, for their views on the external and internal stress points they face, the need and will to collaborate with nontraditional partners to drive future growth, and the impact that cyber risk and more sophisticated attitudes toward data privacy will have on their organizations in a digitally transformed business environment. This first report focuses on the hot-button issues, external and internal to firms, as seen by CEO and other C-suite executives.
In this year’s survey of over 1,000 business leaders, C-Suite executives worldwide are acknowledging the need for radical reinvention. The question every organization needs to address: How is our organization reinventing itself for the digital age? The most prevalent response related to managing talent!
IR Integrated Reporting - Creating Value Value to the Board #IIRCAgustin del Castillo
There is a recognized need to promote financial stability and sustainable development. Much can be achieved
if investment decisions are made on the basis of long- term value creation, especially if corporate behaviour
is aligned to this aim. Demonstrating the link between investment decisions, corporate behaviour and reporting is one aim of this Creating Value series.
Faculty & Research › Publications › 2015 Survey on Board of Directors of Nonprofit Organizations
2015 Survey on Board of Directors of Nonprofit Organizations
By David F. Larcker, Nicholas Donatiello, Bill Meehan, Brian Tayan
Stanford GSB, Rock Center for Corporate Governance, BoardSource, and GuideStar. April 2015
Accounting, Corporate Governance
In fall 2014, the Stanford Graduate School of Business, in collaboration with BoardSource and GuideStar, surveyed 924 directors of nonprofit organizations about the composition, structure, and practices of their boards.
Thought leadership is more important than ever, because there is more that CXOs need to learn and share than ever before. Forbes Insights’ research and experience shows that executives realize how much of what they’re dealing with is new to them and are thus open to learning. But to navigate the blizzard of content, they must make choices. Much of this content is left by the way- side as executives rely, for the most part, on three sources for thought leadership.
Read the read to find out how to get the right information to the right people, at the right time and in the right way.
With advancing technologies, many organizations are focused more than ever on recruiting—particularly for skills they
need to succeed, such as expertise in data science, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. These hard-to-find and
hard-to-hire skills—like so many other skilled professions—cost a lot to recruit. With labor pools shrinking, retaining
talent at every level is critical. Recruiting is more expensive than retention, which can be optimized via training or
creating a culture of constant learning. Choosing recruitment over retention also has a negative effect on employees,
who are left to wonder why their work seems to have less value than that of a new employee.
In this environment, it becomes clear that value lies in the engagement of employees—making sure they are actively
contributing to the company while learning new skills and advancing their own careers. But how to measure something
as intangible as engagement?
Watson Helsby's Annual FTSE 100 Group Director of Corporate Communications/Af...Nick Helsby
Each year, to enhance our executive search advisory offer, Watson Helsby publishes a FTSE 100 Group Director of Corporate Communications/Affairs Survey. This provides an intriguing picture of everything from reporting lines and Executive Committee membership to the – ever fascinating – subject of remuneration. The 2018 Survey has just been published.
This has become the most comprehensive and insightful survey of its type, in terms of both the number of companies surveyed and the range of questions we ask/themes we investigate.
Findings include:
• 79% of FTSE 100s employ a Corporate Communications/Affairs Director, a decline year-on year of 2%.
• The percentage of FTSE 100 Corporate Communications/ Affairs Directors who are formal members of the Executive Committee has dropped to 49% this year (from 51%).
• Budgets are generally flat or down (90%). Given a number of factors, including the economic uncertainty created by Brexit. This compares with only 73% reporting flat or down in 2016/17.
• The year 2017/18 has, again, seen considerable change at the top, with 15 companies in the FTSE 100 making changes (vs. 20 the previous year and 16 the year before that). This means that 51 companies have changed their corporate communications/affairs director since 2015 or disbanded the role.
We would welcome any questions or comments.
Nick Helsby is the CEO of Watson Helsby, a specialist communications (external and internal) and corporate affairs/government relations executive search and leadership firm. He has over twenty years headhunting experience, in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa, placing senior communications, PR and corporate affairs professionals in some of the world’s leading organisations. He can be found at nickh@watsonhelsby.co.uk for any questions or comments.
The full report is available to download on http://www.watsonhelsby.co.uk/assets/files/FTSE_Report_2018.pdf
Watson Helsby's FTSE 100 Group Director of Corporate Communications / Affairs...Samantha Rogers
Each year, to enhance our executive search advisory offer, Watson Helsby publishes a FTSE 100 Group Director of Corporate Communications/Affairs Survey. This provides an intriguing picture of everything from reporting lines and Executive Committee membership to the – ever fascinating – subject of remuneration. The 2018 Survey has just been published.
This has become the most comprehensive and insightful survey of its type, in terms of both the number of companies surveyed and the range of questions we ask/themes we investigate.
Findings include:
• 79% of FTSE 100s employ a Corporate Communications/Affairs Director, a decline year-on year of 2%.
• The percentage of FTSE 100 Corporate Communications/ Affairs Directors who are formal members of the Executive Committee has dropped to 49% this year (from 51%).
• Budgets are generally flat or down (90%). Given a number of factors, including the economic uncertainty created by Brexit. This compares with only 73% reporting flat or down in 2016/17.
• The year 2017/18 has, again, seen considerable change at the top, with 15 companies in the FTSE 100 making changes (vs. 20 the previous year and 16 the year before that). This means that 51 companies have changed their corporate communications/affairs director since 2015 or disbanded the role.
We would welcome any questions or comments.
Nick Helsby is the CEO of Watson Helsby, a specialist communications (external and internal) and corporate affairs/government relations executive search and leadership firm. He has over twenty years headhunting experience, in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa, placing senior communications, PR and corporate affairs professionals in some of the world’s leading organisations. He can be found at nickh@watsonhelsby.co.uk for any questions or comments.
The full report is available to download on http://www.watsonhelsby.co.uk/assets/files/FTSE_Report_2018.pdf
Elevate your enterprise cfo role reportCor Ranzijn
Companies in virtually every industry are undergoing a secular change to new, platform- based businesses. To thrive, organizations need to digitally reinvent their enterprise business
and operating models. CFO"s continue to be instrumental in providing the analytical insights to help the enterprise invest capital into new opportunities. Essential to this process is a highly collaborative, in-synch C-suite. The CFO’s newest mandate – to help steer the strategic direction
of the enterprise and do so iteratively – requires changes to their finance organizations. Startlingly, nearly half of CFOs report their own finance organizations fall short of what’s required.
Since 1999, The Conference Board CEO Challenge® survey has asked CEOs across the globe to identify the most critical issues they face and their strategies to meet them. Since 2017, the C-Suite Challenge has expanded the survey pool beyond CEOs to the entire C-suite. This year’s survey, conducted between September and October 2019, asked 1,520 C-suite executives, including 740 CEOs across the globe, for their views on the external and internal stress points they face, the need and will to collaborate with nontraditional partners to drive future growth, and the impact that cyber risk and more sophisticated attitudes toward data privacy will have on their organizations in a digitally transformed business environment. This first report focuses on the hot-button issues, external and internal to firms, as seen by CEO and other C-suite executives.
In this year’s survey of over 1,000 business leaders, C-Suite executives worldwide are acknowledging the need for radical reinvention. The question every organization needs to address: How is our organization reinventing itself for the digital age? The most prevalent response related to managing talent!
IR Integrated Reporting - Creating Value Value to the Board #IIRCAgustin del Castillo
There is a recognized need to promote financial stability and sustainable development. Much can be achieved
if investment decisions are made on the basis of long- term value creation, especially if corporate behaviour
is aligned to this aim. Demonstrating the link between investment decisions, corporate behaviour and reporting is one aim of this Creating Value series.
Faculty & Research › Publications › 2015 Survey on Board of Directors of Nonprofit Organizations
2015 Survey on Board of Directors of Nonprofit Organizations
By David F. Larcker, Nicholas Donatiello, Bill Meehan, Brian Tayan
Stanford GSB, Rock Center for Corporate Governance, BoardSource, and GuideStar. April 2015
Accounting, Corporate Governance
In fall 2014, the Stanford Graduate School of Business, in collaboration with BoardSource and GuideStar, surveyed 924 directors of nonprofit organizations about the composition, structure, and practices of their boards.
Thought leadership is more important than ever, because there is more that CXOs need to learn and share than ever before. Forbes Insights’ research and experience shows that executives realize how much of what they’re dealing with is new to them and are thus open to learning. But to navigate the blizzard of content, they must make choices. Much of this content is left by the way- side as executives rely, for the most part, on three sources for thought leadership.
Read the read to find out how to get the right information to the right people, at the right time and in the right way.
As numerous law enforcement agencies start to ramp up the R2MR training, and even some fire services I wonder what about small forces or departments. It whole design is guided to help the TRI-Service member and his family make it safely to retirement. In August even the Alberta WCB noted the mental health in a huge presentation, is present in todays tri-service members.
I always remember the statements like we cant afford this training, or costs, but what about the staff the employee or employees.
Here is the overview of the program you be the judge on your needs
Enterprise Fusion: Your Pathway To A Better Customer ExperienceCognizant
In June 2018, Cognizant commissioned Forrester Consulting to test the hypothesis that digital transformation will succeed best when two conditions are met.
Impact of Employee Engagement on Performance (Harvard Business Review)Pinky Gonzales
Employee engagement has become a top business priority for senior executives. Yet while most executives see a clear need to improve employee engagement, many have yet to develop tangible ways to measure and tackle this goal. However, a growing group of best-in-class companies says they are gaining competitive advantage through establishing metrics and practices to effectively quantify and improve the impact of their engagement initiatives on overall business performance.
Burson-Marsteller, in partnership with Penn Schoen Berland (PSB), interviewed business decision-makers about the value and challenges of various platforms – specifically conferences and events, corporate awards and rankings, and digital and social channels. Our research sought to identify which platforms are most relevant today, and which emerging platforms companies are gravitating toward to reach and influence stakeholders in the future.
The current age of hyper transparency requires more public presence of corporate managers. In today’s business world, some of the most valued behaviours include taking part in events, being accessible to the media and available in social networks, sharing new insights and trends, playing a visible role in society or featuring on the corporate video channel.
This document includes detailed percentages about different aspects that show the interdependence between CEO reputation, company reputation, and market value and it’s based on the research The CEO Reputation Premium: Gaining Advantage in the Engagement Era, carried out by Weber Shandwick, in partnership with KRC Research, who sought to quantify the value of CEO reputation and measure the importance of CEO engagement. They conducted a survey of more than 1 700 executives that worked in companies with revenues of $500 million or more and represented 19 countries around the world.
Besides, it explains what CEO’s attitudes are more valued, what activities CEOs should do and what are the core competences for a CEO to Gain a Good Reputation.
It also talks about the perceptions of the highest executive power depending on gender. However, apart from these small differences, the reputations of male and female CEOs contribute approximately the same levels to the market value of their firms.
It ends up with some suggestions to maximize CEO's public presence and benefit corporate reputation.
Document written by Corporate Excellence – Centre for Reputation Leadership, quoting the research The CEO Reputation Premium: Gaining Advantage in the Engagement Era prepared by Weber Shandwick in collaboration with KRC Research in in 19 countries around the world from surveys of more than 1 700 executives of companies invoicing 500 million USD or more and released on March 2015.
CB Insights’ Growth Collective demystifies the growth strategies of the world’s largest organizations. We surveyed 365 corporate venture capital arms to understand how CVCs govern, set objectives, compose their teams, embed processes, and use technology. This research is the most comprehensive look at how CVCs operate and drive growth in their organizations. Growth Collective members also have access to best practices and tools to better deliver on their corporate venture capital goals.
With a fundamental shift in the CFO mission, the finance function has become a critical change agent across organizations. The role of financial leaders such as CFOs is evolving, from a traditional financial controller, to one that drives performance improvements across the organization.
As #procurement transformation is building up with technologies like #BlockChain and #RPA, the role of a #CPO is undergoing a transformation as well. Here's how we see it:
58 Quotes, Facts, Benchmarks, and Best Practices on People and AnalyticsHarrison Withers
For the last 18 months, the consulting team at Media 1 has read tens of thousands of pages of research, presentations, and white papers on analytics as it relates to people and performance. When we came across especially interesting content, we added it to a master list of resources. The following 58 Quotes, Facts, Benchmarks, and Best Practices on People and Analytics where curated from that list in the hopes that people will use them in support of creating great places to work.
In a global survey of 375 executives, The Economist Intelligence Unit explores how early adopters are using evidence to show connections between HR and business KPIs and opening doors to new processes and people strategies that impact the bottom line of the organisation.
Prescriptions for Healthcare's Digital CIOsCognizant
Healthcare CIOs are poised to expand their influence amid a perfect storm of regulatory and market forces that require a digital response. Our latest research reveals the new work styles and mindsets CIOs should adopt to prepare for this important organizational role.
Similar to us-cio-insider-high-performing-companies (20)
1. It’s widely recognized that technology is essential to
the effectiveness of every organization today, and that
every CIO wants to drive and deliver value. But the
contribution of the CIO to the overall achievement of a
company varies widely—by industry, competitive
landscape, and organizational culture, among other
factors. These variances beg the question: Is there
something that sets apart the CIOs at high-performing
companies (HPCs)? Indeed, through our research
and analysis of more than 1,200 CIOs1
,we found that
technology leaders at HPCs are generally distinguished
from their peers by five practices:
•• Prioritize performance and growth over cost
•• Consider relationships with the CFO and business
unit leaders more important than the relationship
with the CEO
•• Invest in grooming, motivating, and engaging talent
•• Focus on customer experience as a competitive
differentiator
•• Link cybersecurity and privacy investments to growth
and customers
What CIOs in high-performing
companies do differently
They prioritize performance, relationships,
customers, talent, and cybersecurity
2. CIOINSIDER
What CIOs in high-performing companies do differently
Perhaps as a result of these practices, CIOs in HPCs are
treated differently by their organizations—they have
more budget control and strategic input and, typically,
more credibility and influence. In this report, we explore
the five practices of CIOs in HPCs and the implications
for all CIOs.
1. Prioritize performance and Growth over cost
While it is not surprising that most surveyed CIOs of
HPCs identified their top priorities as performance (69
percent) and growth (60 percent), it’s worth noting that
most other CIOs in the Deloitte survey did not share
these priorities to the same degree. Performance
topped the list for less than half of all others surveyed
(47 percent), followed closely by reducing costs and
attracting and retaining customers (46 percent). In a
separate survey, 72 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs who
responded agreed with the statement, “These days, I
consider my company to be a technology company.”2
Many HPC CIOs know this and are proactively driving
performance and growth for their companies.
De-emphasizing cost cutting is also prevalent among
HPC CIOs. Only 21 percent of the CIOs from HPCs
2. Consider CFO, business unit relationships above
CEO relationship
As companies increasingly rely on technology as a
competitive differentiator, CIOs need to build and
sustain peer relationships with other C-suite leaders.
But all relationships are not created equal. A strong
CFO-CIO relationship, for example, can mean smarter
technology investments that align with strategic growth
picked cost as a top business priority, compared to
nearly half of all other CIOs surveyed (figure 1). During
conversations, many CIOs from HPCs explained that
managing the bottom line was a basic expectation of
leaders, but not a significant business priority. The
emphasis on cost is due not to direct cost pressures,
in the words of one HPC CIO, but to create capital for IT
initiatives that support digital, data, and other priorities.
HPC CIOs’ focus on performance and growth is
consistent with the research conducted on exceptional
companies by Michael E. Raynor, research director with
Deloitte Services LP and Mumtaz Ahmed, chief strategy
officer of Deloitte LLP.3
In a multiyear study of thousands
of organizations, they found that exceptional companies
focus on three rules:
•• Better before cheaper
•• Revenue before cost
•• There are no other rules.
CIOs of HPCs prioritize the second rule—revenue
before cost—driving profits through innovation, price, or
volume, not thrift.
plans, improve business performance, and administer
effective risk governance.4
This isn’t lost on HPC CIOs.
When asked which relationships are important for their
success, most (93 percent) consider the CFO relationship
one of the top strategic relationships. Only 70 percent of
other CIO respondents agreed.
3. CIOINSIDER
What CIOs in high-performing companies do differently
Consider a recent scenario at Broadcom Inc., an HPC
semiconductor company. Broadcom found itself in the
midst of a transformation, acquiring new businesses
and divesting itself of others as it prepared to be
acquired. Growth at that point was critical. CIO Bill
H. Miller Jr. was tasked with providing innovative
environments and tools for the company’s engineers,
improving the effectiveness of R&D, and continuing to
provide highly customized services to B2B customers.
To help accomplish his goals, Miller looked to internal
stakeholders, most notably his CFO. “If you don’t have
influence with internal stakeholders, you are dead,” says
Miller. “For me, it’s the CFO. I respect his judgment and
he respects my judgment. He knows I won’t bring him
something immaterial.”
CIOs in HPCs also tend to prioritize relationships with
business unit leaders (figure 2). More than three-
quarters of HPC CIOs surveyed rate business unit
relationships as important for their success, versus
just over half of all other CIOs surveyed. The emphasis
on strong relationships with business unit leaders
does not mean that HPC CIOs don’t consider the CEO
an important stakeholder or that they have a poor
relationship with the CEO. Rather, these CIOs may view
their CFO and business unit leader relationships as
key to building trust and achieving influence with all
members of the C-suite, including the CEO. As the CIO
of a high-performing aerospace manufacturer put it,
business unit leaders allow him to know what to do in
IT—and they back what’s being done.
4. CIOINSIDER
What CIOs in high-performing companies do differently
4. Focus on customer experience as a competitive
differentiator
Engaging external customers is a common strategy
toward growth; better customer experience can mean
better stock performance and shareholder value. To
quantify the seemingly elusive ROI of great customer
experience, Watermark Consulting analyzed the
cumulative stock returns of the top 10 and bottom 10
performers in Forrester’s annual Customer Experience
Index. Their findings: The leaders vastly outperformed
the market, generating cumulative total returns that
beat the S&P 500 by 27 percent over a five-year period
and beating the bottom ten performers by 128 percent.6
HPC CIOs tend to zero in on customer experience as
a competitive differentiator.
When asked about their involvement with end
customers, a big difference between HPC CIOs and
other respondents emerged: HPC CIOs are more actively
implementing technology and establishing partnerships
to create compelling customer experiences. They are
building systems and services to attract new customers
and retain and engage existing ones. While 66 percent
of HPC CIOs are focused on delivering a seamless
customer experience, only 43 percent of others
surveyed are doing so. The high-performing CIOs also
prioritize gathering and analyzing customer data, and
partnering with marketing to grow customer-focused
initiatives, about two times as often as all others
surveyed. HPC CIOs, in other words, outperform their
peers in every category of customer experience by a
wide margin (figure 4).
3. Invest in grooming, motivating, and engaging
talent
Leaders in all management disciplines have long
recognized the importance of effective team-building.
According to Harvard Business Review, “a world-class
leader must be able to hire and develop an exceptionally
strong leadership team—he/she cannot succeed as a
brilliant one-person player.”5
Talent is an area of focus
and strength for HPC CIOs. Fifty-nine percent of these
CIOs surveyed consider talent development to be a
personal strength, as compared with 42 percent of all
other respondents (figure 3). Nearly half of HPC CIOs
(46 percent) said developing and grooming IT leaders
would enable them to have the greatest effect on their
businesses. Only 35 percent of all others surveyed
shared that view.
HPC CIOs groom, motivate, and engage talent
by articulating a vision, strong beliefs, and clear
expectations, and by aiming to create a high-
performance culture. They reported recognizing the
abilities of others early, trusting them with critical
projects, and challenging them to achieve stretch
goals. Cardinal Health, a high performing company, has
expanded from a presence in six countries to a presence
in 60 countries, the result of recent acquisitions. Not
surprisingly, CIO Patty Morrison spends nearly 50
percent of her time planning for what needs to be done
over the next three to five years, and the other 50
percent grooming, motivating and engaging talent. In
doing so, she is able to entrust decisions and delegate
to the right team members—and focus on high priority
initiatives. “If I have to go too far in the weeds, I know I’ve
got the wrong team,” says Morrison.
5. CIOINSIDER
What CIOs in high-performing companies do differently
5. Link cybersecurity and privacy investments to
growth and customers
HPC CIOs typically view cybersecurity as a key enabler
for growth because it fosters trust with customers
and demonstrates a commitment to safeguarding
customer privacy. It also allows CIOs to deliver reliable
technologies to their organizations, helping them
become valued business partners.
The impact of brand trust is hard to overstate. According
to the TRUSTe/National Cyber Security Alliance 2016 U.S.
Consumer Privacy Index, 89 percent of respondents
avoid brands that do not protect their privacy. And
because of privacy concerns, 51 percent of the survey’s
respondents have not clicked on any online ads this
year, and 32 percent have not downloaded an app
or product.8
With the continued proliferation and
enablement of digital business, the protection of data
and IP has emerged as a competitive differentiator.
HPC CIOs understand the importance of prioritizing
cybersecurity and privacy as growth enablers. Fully half
of HPC CIOs surveyed chose “managing cybersecurity
and information risk” as a top technology initiative,
nearly twice as often as other survey respondents.
(figure 5). When asked which technology areas would
have a significant impact on their businesses in the next
two years, HPC CIOs picked cybersecurity and data
privacy as a top technology priority 24 percent more
than all others surveyed.
That HPC CIOs rate cyber and information risk
management as their top priority reflects the second
rule of exceptional companies—revenue before cost—
when viewed through the lens of a growth enabler. At
a high-performing medical devices company, the CEO
has directed the CIO to play a pivotal role in determining
how to use data to increase income. One caveat: do so
while securing critical patient information. Both leaders
understand that solid cybersecurity, data privacy, and
growth go hand in hand.
McDonald’s, a HPC global food service retailer,
exemplifies the value of a winning customer experience.
The company recently undertook a customer
experience overhaul that included a streamlined
menu, improved order accuracy, investments in food
quality and ingredients, and the launch of a digital app.
As part of the transformation, Deborah Hall-Lefevre,
corporate vice president, Global IT Solutions & Business
Transformation, worked with her team to develop new
customer loyalty products and services, including
mobile apps and kiosk delivery. The outcome so far:
after seven quarters of declining growth, McDonald’s
outperformed its competitors by 2.9 percent in the
fourth quarter 2015 and saw a 5.7 percent increase in
same-store sales growth, a success company CEO Steve
Easterbrook attributed, in part, to customer experience
innovation.7
6. CIOINSIDER
What CIOs in high-performing companies do differently
The potential payoff: more credibility, more
influence
HPC CIOs who prioritize performance and growth,
talent, strategic relationships, customer engagement,
and cybersecurity are clearly valued by their companies.
Our research shows that HPCs increase their CIOs’
budgets about 15 percent more than do all others
surveyed, and give their CIOs budget control 12 percent
more often. They also involve their CIOs in strategic
decisions more often. And HPC CIOs participate in
M&A transactions nearly 20 percent more than other
CIOs surveyed. Ultimately, such CIOs may have more
credibility and influence.
Kroger, a HPC retail food chain, exemplifies this outcome.
In addition to his role as CIO overseeing indirect
sourcing, corporate travel, customer support, and
R&D, Christopher Hjelm has recently been promoted to
executive vice president overseeing the supermarket
chain’s recently acquired analytics subsidiary, 84.51⁰.
Hjelm’s focus on data analytics is part of a broader
strategy to continually listen to and incorporate
feedback from customers and ultimately serve them
across in-store, print, and mobile channels. His
promotion didn’t happen overnight—it took four years
of focusing on operational performance, building talent,
and executing consistently with an eye toward enabling
business innovation (particularly in customer experience
and engagement).
“We went through an initial phase that focused on
operational excellence. Next we focused on overhauling
talent, especially leadership, and then maturing the
organization in terms of execution,” says Hjelm. “Finally,
we focused on innovation.”
Prerequisites for applying the HPC mindset
As CIOs across the board confront the challenges
of near-constant change in their organizations, they
can glean insights from the ways leaders of HPCs are
shaping their CIO roles. But keep in mind that the data
describe only the destination, not the journey. Many of
the HPC CIOs interviewed emphasized that they had to
pave the way, sometimes for years, before they were
entrusted with the more exciting work. Here are some
prerequisites to consider:
•• Get the operational house in order before
focusing on performance and growth.
Often HPC CIOs can afford to prioritize performance
and growth initiatives over cost reduction because
their operational houses are typically in order. CIOs
who are not meeting basic expectations for reliability
and efficiency will have more difficulty pursuing growth
and performance initiatives.
•• Establish credibility with peers before expecting
“a seat at the table.”
Many CIOs are fixated on getting a seat at the table.
One way to earn it is to deliver on commitments and
build alliances with business executives. For the CIOs
of HPCs, building strong relationships with CFOs and
business unit leaders in particular helped them to gain
influence and credibility in their organizations.
7. CIOINSIDER
What CIOs in high-performing companies do differently
•• Build and reinforce a high-performance culture
before attracting high-performing talent.
Talent is critical for CIO success; having the confidence
and ability to delegate critical tasks to the team allows
CIOs to focus on leadership rather than management.
But if the organizational culture or operating model
does not support the expectations of talented
employees and limits their growth potential, they could
walk away.
•• Make internal customers happy before focusing
on external customers.
The focus on external customers allows for better
engagement and growth. But a CIO’s first priority
is to equip internal customers with the tools and
capabilities to do their jobs well. If the basic needs of
sales, marketing, and other internal functions are not
met, external customers will likely suffer as well.
•• Embed security and privacy in business
operations before linking it to growth and
customers.
More often than not, security and privacy controls are
an afterthought because the business does not want
to slow down other initiatives. Embedding security
controls as part of other projects requires maturity
in basic security operations, a clear understanding of
risk, and an ability to think outside the box to meet
business needs for flexibility and agility.
Methodology
Deloitte’s Global CIO Survey engaged 1,271 CIOs through online surveys and in-depth interviews. Based on the aggregated data, we looked for
public companies listed in US stock exchanges whose stocks outperformed the S&P 500 by 10 percent or more over a three-year period (March
2013—March 2015). Of the 235 US public companies surveyed, the 42 respondents whose organizations fit this criteria were designated CIOs of
HPCs. We then compared their responses to those of all other respondents to identify differences.
About this research
Deloitte CIO Insider articles are developed with the guidance of Khalid Kark, Research Director, CIO Program, Deloitte Services LP; Anjali Shaikh,
Manager, CIO Program, Deloitte Consulting LLP; and Renee Boucher Ferguson, Manager, CIO Program, Deloitte Services LP.
About Deloitte’s CIO Program
CIOs lead unique and complex lives—operating at the intersection of business and IT to deliver value to their organizations. To help CIOs manage
these challenges and issues, Deloitte has created the CIO Program. The program provides distinctive offerings to support the CIO career lifecycle
through leadership development programs, immersive lab experiences, insight on provocative topics, and career transition support to complement
the technology services and solutions we provide to our clients.
Khalid Kark
Research Director
US CIO Program
Deloitte Services LLP
kkark@deloitte.com
For additional information, please contact: Stay connected with us:
USCIOProgram@deloitte.com
www.deloitte.com/us/CIOinsider
@DeloitteOnTech