“Governance is like a diet: everybody thinks it’s a good idea, but hardly anybody does it well and nobody is successful.  Effective IT governance starts with understanding the strategic direction of the larger organization and then having a clear IT strategy—that people buy into—that aligns with that.” —University CIO

The topic of IT governance has always been one of great importance to the successful operation of the corporate technology function.  But in today’s environment it is even more critical for driving strategic opportunity for the business.  Well-designed and executed enterprise IT governance makes roles, responsibilities, and paths to execution transparent and creates the platform for generating business value.  Forward-thinking CIOs are exploring ways to take IT governance to the next level—to enable their businesses to pull ahead in this hyper-competitive, global business environment and position IT in a leadership role delivering technology-enabled innovation.  They are also experimenting with relaxing governance standards to foster innovation in high-growth areas of the business, by allowing the business to take responsibility for the added risk.

Center CIO members across industries and geographies shared their insights on the obstacles and opportunities that exist for CIOs in establishing or evolving their IT governance models and mechanisms in order to cement IT’s role as a strategic business partner.  The following themes emerged from the qualitative research:

• Integration between enterprise IT governance and the larger organization’s governance structures is critically important
• Strategic alignment and cost control are the two biggest benefits of mature IT governance
• CIOs are working hard to figure out how to create new aspects of IT governance to support today’s business needs: innovation, speed, and agility
• Change management is the single biggest challenge when introducing new aspects of IT governance
• IT governance processes must be transparent and inclusive

Read this white paper to gain peer advice and insight on approaches that CIOs are implementing to take a leadership role in IT governance and deliver benefits to the business.

Paths to Leverage the Ideas

This research details a number of actions to advance IT governance structures to meet new business needs and expectations.  Here are other readings and resources around IT governance to help you and your teams*:

*Note: You must be a CIO member of the Center to access some of the additional materials.  Join now.  Membership for CIOs is free and offers unique resources focused on relevant business themes and CIO's core competencies.