6 reasons so many IT orgs fail to exceed expectations today

As Swartz says: “If you’re underspending compared to others, then it should not be a surprise the organization is behind and that IT suffers.”

Moreover, he says in such scenarios CIOs usually must commit a high percentage of their limited resources to keep-the-lights-on costs, leaving little to spend on innovation and transformation that can really dazzle their colleagues and deliver big wins for their business.

There’s no easy fix for that, but having the CIO reporting to the CEO, not the CFO, can get IT more focused on driving business objectives and land it the money required to deliver, Swartz says.

CIOs can exceed expectations even if they’re not able to change reporting structure, he adds, by “finding ways to make ‘less’ [resources] work more effectively” and putting any savings to those tech-driven business projects that will deliver the most benefits.

“I would call that an exceed,” Swartz says.

6. Misplaced accountability

Confusion about accountability — that is, who is really accountable for what results — is another obstacle for CIOs and IT teams as they aim high, according to Swartz.

“The question of what keeps CIOs from exceeding expectations assumes that everyone knows what the CIO is accountable for, and I have seen, in fact, that the answer to that question varies,” he says.

Too often, CIOs are held accountable for failures not of their making. CIOs in organizations where business teams turn problems over to IT to fix, where there’s no joint ownership, often won’t have the authority needed to effectively find solutions and drive change. At the same time, the IT department is often still held accountable for the delivery when it inevitably falls short.

Worse still, Swartz says, is when the business gets credit in the cases where the project succeeds or exceeds expectations — even if IT drove the positive results.

Joshi sees similar issues. “CIOs aren’t appreciated for what they do, and many aren’t recognized until something goes wrong,” he says.

Joshi says the solution involves better alignment between IT and business teams on objectives and priorities, more collaboration, and better change management practices.

“The challenge lies on both sides: the way business behaves and runs, and the way the technology organization runs,” Joshi adds.

Swartz recommends the use of agile development principles, DevOps teams, and a product mindset — all of which, when properly implemented, require business-IT partnerships and joint accountability.

He and others say those steps go a long way in helping IT successfully work on tech-driven business initiatives that stand out and get IT the credit it deserves for doing so.