A new cohort of digital leaders is exceeding business target outcomes.
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Co-own digital delivery to drive better digital results
On average, just 48% of an enterprise’s digital initiatives meet or exceed the business target outcomes. However, Gartner discovered a small cohort of CXOs and CIOs with a success rate well above average. This group, called the “digital vanguard,” achieves or exceeds 71% of their digital initiatives. They do this by working closely with each other and co-owning digital delivery, which includes being jointly accountable for delivering results.
However, the focus time on sharing technology leadership with CxOs and increasing the technological knowledge of people across the enterprise is low. CIOs should increase the priority of these two elements to grow the digital vanguard and achieve higher levels of success in their digital initiatives.
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Key imperatives for digital top performers
Digital top performers follow key imperatives to deliver better digital results.
Operate outside of the traditional enterprise model of IT ownership and delivery
In an enterprise where CIOs and CxOs are equally responsible, accountable and involved in digital delivery, top digital CIOs focus on two key goals:
Make it easier for CxOs to co-lead digital delivery
Make it easier for employees (in and beyond IT) to build digital solutions with IT
In alignment with the CIO, top digital CxOs, dedicate a larger portion of their business staff to technology work. They work more closely with the CIO, meeting four times more often than other CxOs.
Develop technology and digital skills across the business
To increase the success rate for digital initiatives, CIOs and CxOs must develop technology and digital leadership skills for technologists across the enterprise, not just those in a traditional IT space. Without these skill sets within the business units, enterprises will fail to realize the full potential of digital.
However, Gartner research shows just 16% of CIOs will prioritize building a technology workforce enterprisewide in 2025 and just 18% will prioritize sharing technology leadership with other business areas.
Digitally-focused CIOs aren’t hampered by the traditional monopoly of digital delivery. Instead, they are eager to increase the digital skills of their business area staff and understand how this approach benefits the enterprise. In partnership with the CIO, digital vanguard CxOs look to IT to help their teams with future skills development. Not only that, two-thirds of these CIOs are helping business areas assess what digital skills they will need amongst their own staff in the future.
Support better co-delivery of digital
Digital CIOs need to enable their CxO peers and other business areas to successfully deliver on digital objectives.
This requires focus in a few key areas:
Compelling, easy-to-use platforms
In 2025, most CIOs plan to increase investments in strong foundational capabilities and technologies. Digital frontrunner CIOs create a compelling platform experience for technologists across the business, not just IT.
These platforms, selected with technologists outside of IT in mind, make it easier to build digital solutions as a team.
Instill architectural awareness
Understanding the interdependencies between technology outcomes and business outcomes is key to reducing enterprise risk and adhering to governance rules. However, it’s rarely taught to non-IT stakeholders. Instead, digital CIOs advise technologists across the enterprise on these interdependencies, increasing the awareness and ensuring secure digital solutions.
Co-create innovation with business areas
With just 18% of CIOs establishing innovation as a business-led capability, most are missing an opportunity to help businesses identify potential innovation areas, find AI use cases or create an opportunity for businesses to lead innovation on their own. Unlike their traditional counterparts, digitally-focused CxOs actually expect CIOs to partner together when it comes to fostering innovation.
The happy digital vanguard
The benefits of a digital vanguard CIO go beyond successfully executing on digital objections – though that is a key focus. Digital vanguard CIOs are more satisfied in their jobs and more optimistic about the role going forward. These are highly collaborative CIOs enabling peers to lead and build digital solutions with IT.
Digital vanguard CIOs are less likely to consider leaving their organization or position, and they believe in the future strategic relevance of the CIO role. In fact, they are so optimistic, they’re more likely to recommend the CIO career path to others.
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Digital CIO FAQs
How can CIOs and CxOs deliver better digital results?
Effective CIOs make it easier for others to lead digital and build digital solutions with IT. CIOs and CxOs focused on digital work closely together and co-own digital delivery end to end, to the extent that they are jointly accountable for delivering results. This digital cohort produces better results when it comes to digital delivery objectives.
What are the key challenges for CIOs in 2025?
The 2025 Gartner CIO and Technology Executive Survey results again find that CIOs will be navigating a challenging context of budget constraints and senior executive leader (that is, CxO) demands. Specifically, CIOs are contending with environments in which their expected budget increases are only marginally above projected inflation and below the expected increases in revenue.
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