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Lucent Search research | technology strategy
When Technology Strategy Outpaces Leadership
7 Signs to Recognise
Is your technology leadership keeping pace with the business?
Investment in AI and technology is gathering pace. The harder question is whether businesses have the leadership, capacity and operating arrangements to turn that investment into results.
When a transformation programme struggles, attention often turns to the technology leader. Is the strategy wrong? Is the CIO or CTO delivering? Does the business need someone different?
Sometimes the answer lies with the individual. But it may also lie in competing priorities, limited resources, unclear responsibilities or an organisation that isn't equipped to deliver what it has committed to.
This 25-page executive briefing explores seven signs that technology ambitions may be moving faster than the organisation's ability to deliver them.
LEADERSHIP EFFECTIVENESS
When should a business review its technology leadership?
When I interview senior technology leaders, I'm interested in more than the programmes they've delivered. I want to understand the relationships they've built across the business, the decisions they've been able to influence and what stood in their way.
I've spoken to capable executives whose responsibilities have expanded considerably, but whose authority, resources or support haven't changed with them.
I've also seen how difficult it can be to distinguish a leadership problem from a business that hasn't made the decisions needed to deliver its own strategy.
The distinction matters. Replacing an executive won't resolve conflicting priorities or an unrealistic mandate. Equally, better resources and support won't compensate for leadership capabilities the business genuinely lacks.
Before deciding what needs to change, establish which problem you're dealing with.
Inside the briefing
Seven signs your technology leadership may need attention
The following signs can indicate that the business needs to look more closely at its leadership, skills or ways of working. None is conclusive on its own.
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Technology investment is increasing, but business value remains difficult to demonstrate
A programme may be delivered successfully without producing the improvements in productivity, customer experience or profitability the business expected.
Technology and business leaders are working towards different priorities
Individual functions may be meeting their objectives while struggling to agree what matters most for the wider business.
Decisions take too long, and governance is not helping
Approval processes, unclear authority or overstretched decision-makers can prevent progress, even when the direction is agreed.
New technology is being introduced without reconsidering how the business operates
A new system can make an existing process faster without making it fundamentally better. Before automating a process, ask whether you would design it that way today.
Technology leaders have little capacity for strategic change
Operational demands and expanding responsibilities can leave even experienced executives with little time for the strategic work expected of them.
Your skills mix no longer reflects what the business needs
Existing teams may be highly capable, but their experience has often developed around earlier priorities. The next stage may require different expertise or stronger capabilities elsewhere in the business.
Your leadership structure reflects historical priorities rather than future requirements
Executive roles, reporting lines and decision-making authority may no longer reflect what the organisation needs its technology leaders to achieve.
The full report explores the reasons behind these signs and the questions leadership teams should ask.
Before the appointment
Does your business need a new technology executive, or a different approach?
When technology strategy isn't delivering, appointing a different executive or creating another senior role can appear to be the obvious next step.
Sometimes it is the right decision. But a new CIO, CTO, Chief Data Officer or AI leader won't resolve problems created by unclear accountability, insufficient resources or responsibilities that haven't been clearly defined.
Before beginning an executive search, there are five questions I'd want the leadership team to answer.
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What are we trying to achieve, and how will we know we've succeeded?
Are we ready to deliver, or do we simply support the ambition?
Do our leaders understand enough to make the right decisions?
Have we planned for how people's work will change?
Are our leadership structure and capabilities right for what comes next?
Are the business outcomes clear, and have we agreed how to measure them?
Have we committed the people, time and resources needed to make the change happen?
Can business and technology leaders challenge assumptions, assess risks and make informed choices together?
Have we considered the effect on processes, responsibilities, skills and day-to-day working practices?
Can existing leaders deliver with the authority, expertise and support available, or does something need to change?
The answers may point towards developing existing people, redistributing responsibilities, strengthening the wider team or bringing in different expertise.
The important thing is to establish what the business needs before deciding whether another executive appointment is the answer.
About the publication
About the executive briefing
When Technology Strategy Outpaces Leadership draws on my conversations with senior technology executives, my experience assessing leadership for businesses and themes explored in Lucent Search's AI and Data Leadership Survey.
Written for CEOs, boards, People leaders and those responsible for major transformation programmes, it examines seven signs that leadership arrangements, skills or organisational capacity may not be keeping pace with technology ambitions.
The briefing offers practical questions to help leadership teams understand where the difficulty lies before deciding what needs to change.
About the author
Rebecca Hastings
Rebecca Hastings, founder of Lucent Search, specialises in senior technology, data and AI leadership, working with businesses through executive enablement, leadership advisory and retained executive search.
Her work gives her a close view of what technology leaders are being asked to deliver, the obstacles they encounter and the different capabilities businesses need as their priorities change.
Rebecca believes leadership decisions should start with an understanding of what the business is trying to achieve, rather than a job title or a vacancy to fill.
· 15 years in executive search
· 100+ senior leadership appointments
· Founder, Lucent Search