Tech leaders are dedicating more time to innovation than ever

Chief Information Officers are spending more time on innovation than they ever have, with three quarters stating they have increased innovation efforts, according to the 2021 Global CIO Survey (registration) from Logicalis. The study, which questioned 1,000 CIOs from around the world, claims that despite a strong focus on innovation, just 27 percent of CIOs describe it as an essential part of their company culture.

The research also suggests that 21 percent of respondents admit that innovation is confined to specific areas and departments. A further thirty-four percent of CIO respondents also say that innovation consists of large-scale projects driven by dedicated teams. The results suggest a lack of innovation embedded in company culture and organisational willingness to evolve and adopt modern technologies.

The hesitancy to expand creative thinking across the business and encourage new ideas is impacting businesses’ ability to keep up with the wider market and competitors. Businesses must emphasise a culture of innovation or risk not supporting changing customer demands and losing valuable employees as the XYZ generation workforce demands digitally focused working practices that match their expectations for user experience.

Nearly 80 percent of survey respondents believe their organisation is already falling behind competitors because of the pace of changing processes. Particularly, CIOs state they are struggling to keep up in increasing efficiencies (38 percent), streamlining workflows (37 percent) and enhancing services (36 percent).

Expanding an innovative culture across a disseminated workforce is harder than scaling to employees working under one roof. Robust, digital communication solutions enable a hybrid workforce to connect remotely to develop an innovative culture. An updated approach to innovation and company-wide collaboration will enable businesses to improve productivity and gain a competitive edge.