What role will technology play for business leaders in 2016?
The role of a business leader has never been so exciting and challenging as it is today. Technology has the ability to lead firms to new horizons or leave unsuspecting companies in the dust.
How will innovations such as productivity solutions help senior managers ensure they are on par with technology?
Research highlights technologic priorities for leaders
Forrester Research recently revealed the key trends and focus areas in technology for senior leader next year.
According to the organisation, 2016 will see human-centred design become a priority and how innovations and methods bring value to customer or client interactions. From a strategic perspective, mobile technology will be a major factor as managers begin creating a more seamless experience across departments.
For CIOs, the focus will be on software-as-a-service platforms, most of which will be cloud-enabled.
Research Director and Region Manager for Asia Pacific Dane Anderson highlighted the important role c-suite professionals will hold during 2016.
“Strong leadership is essential, and collaboration is necessary between CMOs, who must step up and lead customer experience efforts, and CIOs, who must accelerate the business technology agenda,” he explained.
Challenges for talent management
A recent report from KPMG revealed that leaders in financial roles often face challenges in attracting and retaining talent.
Only 33 per cent of CEOs believed their CFO is effective in managing talent.
While 97 per cent of the CEOs surveyed stated that talent management was the most important success factor for the financial department, only 33 per cent believed their CFO was currently meeting the expected standards.
A key way for CFOs to see more success is through leveraging technology such as recruitment software. Using innovations to reduce the time taken in administrative tasks means that professionals can dedicate their efforts to talent management and creating strategies to recruit and manage the best talent in the market.
Technology key to unlocking business benefits
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) recently identified 10 key strategic actions that can improve how businesses interact with technology.
For businesses leaders, the focus should be on communicating a properly aligned technology strategy across the entire organisation. Business leaders need to think carefully about how investments into new innovations can be properly applied to create a competitive advantage. Data-driven decision-making is at the heart of this process.
Through increased strategic focus and a proactive approach to adoption, business leaders can successfully apply the benefits of technology to their own company.
Depending on your perspective, technology can be a significant help or a crippling hindrance. How can business leaders align their company for success?