Accenture, NASCIO issue report on role of US state CIOs

A report issued by Accenture and the US National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) canvasses the thoughts of state CIOs on how to expand innovation in state government.

The report looks at aspects such as governance structures, budgeting and operating models.

According to the findings, 83% of US state CIOs said that innovation is an important or very important part of their day-to-day concerns, but only 14% reported active initiatives within their organisations.

“The pace of technological change keeps accelerating, bringing new challenges and opening opportunities, and state CIOs have an important, central role to play in fostering innovation to help government deliver better services and value to citizens,” said Doug Robinson, NASCIO’s Executive Director.

“State government operating models should evolve to better enable, emphasise and capture the benefits of innovation, and this research points the way forward.”

Other finds in the report include:

• 63% of respondents cited lack of funding as the top barrier to innovation, followed by workforce skills.
• Only 26% said their state leadership has made innovation a priority, and only 6% said their state legislature had done so.
• 85% said they are struggling to find the right skills for innovation, with 46% identifying lack of skills as the top barrier for innovation.
   

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