IT’s increasing role in driving innovation is emphasised in CIO’s ”State of the CIO”-survey for 2018. More interesting however I find the gap between IT and LOB (Line Of Business), revealed by the answers to the survey.

54% of the IT-respondents say that working with the business units to develop consensus around IT projects is one of the top 3 steps that the IT organization has taken to improve its IT/Business working relationship in the past year. Only 27% of LOB-respondents agree. 37% of IT-respondents believe that driving innovation is the most important role IT can play in the organization. Only 19% from the business agrees.

These are the mismatching perceptions and expectations between IT and LOB that you find in most companies, and that is the real challenge for the IT/Business working relationship.

More about the survey: CIO’s 17th Annual State of the CIO Survey