By Lisa Burroughes, 21 August 2000 00:30
NEWS Fifty per cent of senior executives feel threatened by the growing powers of IT directors. A survey of over 1,000 companies - conducted by recruitment company Hays IT - found that technophobic bosses are losing out as IT professionals move from an organisation's periphery to take on key business roles. The study highlights the importance of IT understanding among senior directors. However, it revealed this is not a characteristic many of them have. In fact one in two respondents believe they are out of touch or are even afraid of technology. Nick Cox, managing director of Hays IT, believes this going to give junior staff the advantage when it comes to competing for board positions. Cox argued that bosses must retrain if they are going to stand a chance of competing with them. "I'd like to think it's not so drastic they are going to lose their jobs. Certainly, they are going to have to understand IT, but not in the intimate hands-on way that their junior staff do. But, they will have to re-focus their ideas and relearn about where IT can help their business and improve their business and their strategy in the future and I think the IT director has a role to play in doing that," said Cox. However, Tim Wickes, chief executive of CH Business Development, and member of Elite - the IT directors' forum - was sceptical of the survey results. He said: "This is barrack room talk - yes, there are a lot of people out of touch and people who don't know the value, but that will change just as with any other revolution." Wickes added: "You can't be in business today without continual training - if you aren't training you should retire anyway."
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