Half of Irish and UK businesses trapped in the ‘Digital Dark Ages’ according to new research from Ricoh
(PRWEB UK) 16 July 2013 -- UK business leaders are not yet fully equipped for the digital age, with 50 per cent saying they are far from ready or have no plans in place for digital transformation, according to a new poll commissioned by Ricoh UK. The research also reveals that while an overwhelming majority of business leaders (84 per cent) believe the CIO is well-equipped to drive digital transformation, only 17 per cent of UK businesses are allowing them to do drive activity in this area.
For example, the task of optimising business critical processes is ranked by business leaders as the number one activity that is having the biggest positive impact on business growth. However, CIOs are currently least able to change it; just 10 per cent believe they are empowered in this area.
The research reveals that there is a clear opportunity for the CIO to step up to help shape the digital strategy and company growth, if further empowered by the business. The top three attributes of a successful CIO according to business leaders are 1) having a marketing background, 2) technology expertise and 3) business critical process optimisation expertise. Yet few respondents said that the CIO was currently empowered to change corresponding elements of a successful digital strategy, such as customer engagement and supply chain (both at 21 per cent).
Currently digital transformation projects are predominantly led by either the CTO or CIO (37 per cent), followed by the CEO (35 per cent). In addition over half of the business leaders polled, said they had a CIO on the board (59 per cent).
Paul Braham, Director, IT Services and Professional Services, Ricoh UK says, “The research insights show that the majority of UK businesses are still in the digital dark ages and are currently unprepared to drive digital transformation. During a time, when much more technology-led change is anticipated, businesses will need to be able to adapt quickly to new client demands, economic conditions and to maintain a competitive advantage. To meet the challenges posed by this change, IT management should no longer be sidelined as a supporting role, instead CIOs must be further empowered to influence business models, client interaction and employee productivity.
By starting with business critical processes - the number one ranked activity to impact business growth - CIOs can combine technology expertise with commercial acumen to review, and change the organisations traditional ways of working. In turn they will gain much more than cost savings. The business will benefit from being able to move forward with a more productive and agile working model where employee knowledge sharing is enhanced and they are more responsive to client needs. In the longer term, with these strong foundations in place the CIO can focus on the core business areas and successfully lead the organisation into a brighter digital future.”
[1]Research conducted by Coleman Parkes Research, May-June 2013
For further information, please contact Anna Powell, Content Marketer at Proof Digital on behalf of Ricoh UK Ltd [e] anna(at)itsproof(dot)co.uk.
Anna Powell, Ricoh UK, http://www.ricoh.co.uk, 07891095143, [email protected]
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