There's a general consensus that CIOs need to be spending less time on the minutia of IT operations and more time on activities that create business value, but a recent survey of the CIO Executive Council showed that 90 percent still spend most of their time on the former. The obstacles to moving toward a value-creation role can be tackled in four steps, writes strategic management consultant Matt Podowitz.

The three main obstacles, Podowitz writes in a post at CIOUpdate, are 1) getting mired in the daily IT operations; 2) failing to delegate; and 3) not fully understanding the company's strategies or building enough credibility on the business side of the house.

To overcome these obstacles, CIOs can begin by improving processes so they are not always trying to manage the latest crisis. Procedures should be standardized and documented, and some processes can be automated. Next, there should be a pool of reliable managers who can handle routine tasks. Podowitz suggests cultivating any "latent management talent" on the staff, and of course increased salaries can attract this kind of talent.

One way to establish sufficient credibility among the business units is by visiting them on their turf. "The perception of many CIOs as glorified techies often results from the fact the CIO never seems to leave the four walls of the IT department and get out into the business," Podowitz writes. "CIOs can help themselves build credibility and support by taking the time to get to know their peers in the business--heads of operations departments, divisional executives and the rest of the C-suite--and understanding their priorities and challenges."

Finally, CIOs need to establish new ways of having their work evaluated. Rather than being measured on resolution rates or system uptime, they should find measures that are connected to the company's priorities, like their contribution to the bottom line.

For more:
- see Matt Podowitz's post at CIOUpdate

Related Articles:
Figuring out what drives your business
A quiz to reveal your management style
CIO strategy: Find the time and place to just think