You'd think that companies that elevate the importance of technology leaders would also trust them more, but, paradoxically,
the reverse is true. Superstar technology leaders are less trusted to deliver business results or offer guidance and advice
to CEOs and boards. Fast-growing companies generally trust their digital leadership more than slower-growing companies
do. But dig deeper. When it comes it managing the IT department itself-keeping the lights on, delivering on time and on
budget, and improving efficiency-there's not a lot of difference in trust between growth leaders and everyone else (with a
noteworthy exception for cybersecurity).
Connecting technology and business leadership
In the best performing companies (both fastest growing and
those most likely to be ahead of the curve on disruption)
the technology leader is actually less important to company
success than in companies that perform less well. Among
companies that say they drive disruption, it's a 50-50 split,
with half saying the technology leader is as important as
others, half saying he or she is more important. But among
laggards, 74% say the digital leader is more important than
others in the C-suite. There's a similar distribution among
companies that are leading in revenue growth; they are more
likely to see the technology and other C-suite leaders as
co-equals, while slower-growing companies are more likely
to elevate the tech leader above others. It's as if the less
successful companies expect technological miracles to make
up for shortcomings elsewhere in the business.
Companies that drive disruption see technology leaders as peers, not heroes
Importance of technology leader to company success
Much more important Equally important Less important
More important
17%
54%
24%
48%
23%
33%
19%
25%
55%
DISRUPTORS
FOLLOWERS
LAGGARDS
1%
1%
0%
18 AlixPartners Disruption Index 2023