IT services spending signals major role change for CIOs ahead

This is where much of the highly specialized but hard-to-hire talent needs will likely be met for most CIOs, underscoring a shift in role already under way for many IT chiefs today.

Orchestration on top

“This evolution in what CIOs do, the value proposition they bring to the company, is evident in the long-term playout. But it is not yet as evident to the CIOs themselves,” Lovelock said. He sees CIOs still thinking they are riding the same talent waves of the past, facing a temporary problem that they will solve: that their staff will come back, that hiring will resume, that attrition rates will decline, and that they will be able to attract the skills they need at prices they can afford.

“It doesn’t look like they will ever be able to do that. There are too many things IT staff with these key resources and skills are looking for that are outside of the CIO’s control to deliver,” he said.

With increasing reliance on IT services and consulting to deliver outcomes ranging from commoditized customer support to differentiating generative AI implementations, the CIO role may soon become less about being that one-stop shop for business support, overseeing project and products developed in-house, and more about weaving together myriad services undertaken by an increasingly heterogeneous mix of talent sources, predominantly beyond the CIO’s direct purview.

Such a shift will continue to favor those CIOs astute at developing strategic partnerships, establishing a business-critical agenda, and not shying away from the challenge of change. In short, the orchestrator-in-chiefs.

“This changeover is something that’s going to start being much more evident in 2024 and start to become critical in 2025,” Lovelock said.

Assuming he’s right, it might be high time to get on it.