Posted on October 14th, 2025

When IT and business leaders aren’t aligned, growth stalls—even with the best tools in place.

Technology alone doesn’t create business value—alignment does. Yet in many organizations, IT and business teams still operate in silos. According to Deloitte’s 2024 CIO Pulse Survey, 63% of CIOs now report directly to the CEO, up from just 41% in 2015—a sign that the CIO role has evolved beyond tech oversight to include strategic leadership and innovation.

But reporting lines aren’t enough. True impact happens when IT and business leaders collaborate consistently—early, often, and around shared outcomes.

Symptoms of IT-Business Misalignment:

· Projects are launched with unclear business value or no end-user input

· Teams duplicate tools or data across departments

· Business leaders are frustrated by slow timelines or unclear deliverables

· IT is viewed as a service provider, not a strategic partner

What Alignment Should Look Like:

· CIOs and COOs co-lead transformation initiatives—not just hand off implementation

· Tech investments are mapped to shared OKRs, not siloed KPIs

· End-user feedback loops are baked into the development lifecycle

· Cross-functional teams meet weekly—not quarterly—to iterate and adjust

Leadership Behaviors That Build Alignment:

1. Start with business outcomes, not system upgrades
Don’t ask, “What platform should we use?” Ask, “What does success look like—and how do we know when we’ve achieved it?”

2. Invite IT to strategic planning, not just implementation
IT leaders should be in the room when priorities are set, not brought in to retrofit delivery after the fact.

3. Build a shared language between technical and non-technical teams
Translate engineering into outcomes. Utilize visual aids, clear language, and relevant business cases to ensure clarity and foster buy-in.

4. Make alignment a habit, not an event
Hold regular cross-functional reviews. Celebrate quick wins. Course-correct early.

Weekly Challenge

Pick one strategic initiative currently underway. Ask both IT and business leads:

“Do we agree on the why behind this project—and how we’ll measure success?”

If the answers differ, pause. Realign. Misalignment always shows up later in cost, delay, or resistance.

Closing Thought

Tech can scale. Tools can evolve. But execution only accelerates when the people leading strategy and systems work in sync. The future belongs to business leaders who can speak tech—and IT leaders who understand the business.

Get started. Get in touch.

JP Van Steerteghem

Mail me at [email protected]

Or schedule some time https://calendly.com/jvansteerteghem