CIOs lead innovation -- but lack business savvy

CIOs get top marks when it comes to driving innovation in a company, but come on short on developing new business strategies, according to recent IDC research.

IT managers have helped almost 70 percent of business managers in the innovation of their companies across all sectors, according to a survey of more than 400 business managers.

The healthcare vertical was least likely to call on an IT manager to help innovate, with less than half of business managers doing so, the research reveals.

But only a fifth of companies considered IT managers to be initiators of new business strategies, according to IDC.

Angela Vacca, consulting manager IDC European vertical markets, said business managers have clear priorities in mind around how IT could better support the business.

Vacca said these priorities are extremely different from vertical to vertical and "seldom include cost-cutting among the top issues" with internal IT capabilities seen as needing the most attention.

The majority of business managers were prepared to stump up more cash for the IT department with less than three-fifths of business managers wanting to see their companies invest more in in-house IT.

Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of business managers spend a significant amount of time on IT to support business operations, according to the IDC report What business managers want (from IT).

For the communications, transport and utilities sector, more than half of business managers surveyed spend more than 25 percent of their time dealing with IT and in the manufacturing sector this increased to more than 40 percent.