IT heads still don't make the board

Half of IT directors believe they need a voice on the board to help their companies understand the business value of technology.

The National Computing Centre 2001 Survey of IT decision-makers reveals that senior IT managers fear their organisations pay little more than lip service to the role of technology.

And they say the most crucial missing link is a place at the highest level of decision-making.

Only 27 per cent of UK organisations have a dedicated IT director on the board, and almost 39 per cent still have no formal IT representation at board level.

But the survey suggests that boards without an IT voice suffer more problems with the development and implementation of strategic plans.

Almost 90 per cent of senior IT staff say maintaining and developing the IT infrastructure is still a major element of their job. But they believe their advice could save their businesses from missing out on competitive innovations.

Where IT reports to the finance director, as is the case in one-third of companies, adoption is more conservative because it is seen as an overhead rather than as a cornerstone of the business.

The survey, based on 1246 responses from senior IT decision-makers across a broad spectrum of user organisations, also found that in many cases technology adoption is still prompted by the IT department rather than by a business plan or by the demands of end-users.

"There's still a feeling that the IT function isn't capable of representing board-level views or taking a broad view of the business," said NCC director of operations, David Masding.

"Speak the language of the board and eventually you'll be respected.

"IT directors also have to be prepared to relinquish some of the complex, day-to-day aspects of the role and learn how to prioritise and delegate."