As organizations face growing demands, IT leaders and their teams feel more pressure to deliver. To succeed in this environment, IT leaders must identify and prioritize the critical focus areas that will drive the most value for their organization.
A recent study by Qualtrics XM Institute surveyed 663 experienced IT leaders from large companies (with 1000+ employees) to understand their priorities and insights on what they consider to be the most critical areas of focus. The findings of this study can provide valuable guidance for IT leaders looking to improve their leadership and drive success within their organizations.
1. Critical Focus Areas for IT Leadership
According to the survey, the top priority for IT teams should be improving operational efficiency within the IT department, with 60% of respondents agreeing. This focus area was significantly more critical to IT leaders than increasing the perceived value of the IT department within the organization or reducing operational costs.
Data quality and management were also identified as a critical focus area by 50% of respondents, making it the second highest priority for IT leadership.
2. The Need to Increase Agility
A majority of IT leaders surveyed (51%) consider it extremely important, and a further 38% think it is essential for their company to improve its ability to adapt to unexpected events. This highlights the need for companies to be agile to respond effectively to changes in the business environment.
Additionally, 76% of IT leaders surveyed believe that their company needs to make significant (40%) or moderate (36%) adjustments to how it interacts with its customers. This underscores the importance of customer experience, and the need for companies to be responsive and adaptable to changing customer needs and preferences.
- Improving the operation of the IT department is a key focus area that can lead to several benefits for the organization. This includes faster response times, reduced costs through the elimination of rework, and an increased perception of value for the IT department.
- Data quality and management is another critical area for IT leaders to focus on. By improving these areas, the organization will have access to better data, which can inform business intelligence and decision-making.
- Experience has shown that a significant portion of IT work is often dedicated to addressing unexpected or unplanned events. To address this challenge, it is essential for both the IT department and the company as a whole to increase their agility and ability to adapt to changing circumstances. This focus on agility can be a vital part of the ongoing improvement process for the organization.
