Deloitte’s “2016-2017 Global CIO Survey” has uncovered a shift in business priorities from “business performance” to “customers,” with 57 percent of chief information officers choosing “customers” as their top priority, compared to only 45 percent last year. “Customer” remained the top priority for eight of the 10 industries represented in the survey. However, only 45 percent of CIOs stated their information technology organization is involved in delivering customer experience through IT capabilities, and 28 percent of CIOs feel their IT organizations are below average in their digital skill sets.

The survey results also show that three-quarters of CIOs say aligning IT to business strategy and performance goals is the top IT capability essential to success. CIOs overwhelmingly chose strategic alignment as the top IT capability essential to their successes, followed by execution of technology projects coming in second at 55 percent, and vision and strategy third (nearly 50 percent).

Additionally, this year’s survey found substantial gaps exist between business expectations and IT capabilities, in key areas including innovation and cybersecurity. Fifty-seven percent of CIOs report that the business expects them to assist in business innovation and developing new products and services, but over half state that innovation and disruption priorities currently do not exist or are in the process of being built. Similarly, 61 percent identify cybersecurity as a core expectation, but only 10 percent of CIOs report cybersecurity and IT risk management are a top business priority.

Another finding: In the face of evolving business expectations, CIOs must be able to shift between three pattern types to be effective and create value. They are: “trusted operators,” who ensure operational excellence; “change instigators,” who enable large business transformations; and “business co-creators.” The survey found that 55 percent of CIOs report their current type as trusted operator and 34 percent as business co-creator, but 66 percent of all CIOs surveyed say their ideal state is business co-creator.

Read the full Deloitte press release here.