How do Corporate Culture and Alignment Drive the Role of the CIO?

Abstract The role of Chief Information Officer (CIO) is a relatively new one and it is evolving. Issues surround the role related to performance, evaluation, and turnover. The investigation reported here is the result of in-depth qualitative interviews with currently practicing CIOs from New Zealand, Taiwan, and the United States. The results are presented in relation to issues that the CIO initially had to deal with, current issues, and future issues as anticipated by the CIOs. Two major contributions of this research relate to culture and alignment. From a cultural perspective there is little variability in the roles. However, how the roles are carried out will be affected more by corporate culture than by societal culture. Alignment is related to the expectations of senior management and the interpretation by the CIO. It is very important to the CIO and senior management that there is understanding and agreement regarding role expectations. This project contributes to a more thorough understanding of the role of the CIO and how it is evolving in various contexts.