2023+CFO對CEO調查的觀點+CFO+Perspective+on+the+2023+CEO+Survey

GartnerResearch

CFOPerspectiveonthe2023

CEOSurvey

ByFinanceResearchTeam

CFOPerspectiveonthe2023CEOSurvey

WhereCFOsandCEOsAgreeandDisagreeon

CurrentStrategicBusinessPriorities

ByAnalyst(s):FinanceResearchTeam

CFOsandCEOsgenerallyagreeonhowtorespondtothemostimportantissuestheirorganizationsface,fromAItoin?ationarypressures—withafewkeydifferences.CFOsshouldusethis

researchtobenchmarktheirthinkingagainsttheirmanagers’andexploreopportunitiesforgreateralignment.

Overview

KeyFindings

■CFOsandCEOsagreeontheimportanceoftechnologyforthefuturesuccessof

theirbusiness(e.g.,AIhavingthemostsigni?cantimpactoverthenextthreeyears),althoughCEOsaremoreguardedintheirinvestmentplans.

■GrowthisthetopstrategicbusinesspriorityforCFOsandCEOs;moreCFOs(62%)namegrowthasatopprioritythanCEOs(45%).Differencesemergeonother

priorities,withcorporateaction(e.g.,M&A,restructuring)citedsecondmostfrequentlybyCFOsandworkforceconcernscominginsecondforCEOs.

■CustomerpricesensitivityhasdeepenedCFOs’interestincostoptimizationasanalternativeresponsetoin?ationbeyondraisingprices,bringingthemmoreinlinewithCEOs’thinkingsincelastyear.

■Competitionfortalentremainshigh.CEOsaremorelikelytociteworkforceissuesasoneoftheirtopstrategicbusinesspriorities,andarefourtimesmorelikelytocite

talentacquisitionasanimportantfactordrivingmergersandacquisitions(M&As).

Recommendations

Toincreasethelikelihoodofful?llingstrategicbusinessprioritiesfortheirorganizations,CFOsshould:

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■IdentifythebusinessobjectivesandproblemsbestsuitedforAIbyobservingtheirownorganizationalcontextandnotforce-?ttingAIasapredeterminedsolutionoradoptingtheusecasescommonlypursuedbyothers.

■StrengthentheirpartnershipwiththeCIObyfocusingonprimarysharedinterests:

improvingvisibilityintodigitalspendinganddrivingthebusiness’saccountabilityfordigitalinvestmentoutcomes.

■Applya“capitalactivist”approachtotheongoingreallocationofcapitalbydrivingrelentlessfocusontheorganization’spointsofdifferentiation,engineeringmore

agilecapitalallocationpracticesandforcingdiscussionofoperatingresourcetrade-offs.

■WorkwiththeCHROtoclarifywhichmetricswillallowtheorganizationtoestimatethepotentialfutureimpactoftalentattritionandacquisition(e.g.,employee

engagement,bene?tssatisfaction).

DataInsights

WhileCFOsandCEOsbroadlyagreeonmanyhigh-levelorganizationalpriorities,they

differintheirrelativeemphasisonsomeissuesaswellashowtohandlethem,accordingtothe2023GartnerCEOandSeniorBusinessExecutiveSurvey,whichsurveyed95CFOsand277CEOsacrossawiderangeofindustriesandgeographiclocationsontheirmajorbusinessconcernsandareasoffocus.1

CFOsshouldusethese?ndingstobenchmarktheircurrentapproachtothesepriorities,aswellasunderstandthebestpracticesformanagingthem.Thisresearchalsoprovides

CFOswithanopportunitytounderstandhowCEOsareviewingmajoraspectsofthe

business,aswellastogetaheadofdifferencesinhowtheyprioritizesolvingproblemsassociatedwiththoseareas.

TechnologyIsaTopBusinessPriorityforCEOsandCFOs,butCEO

InvestmentPlansAreMoreGuarded

BothCEOsandCFOsarelikelytonametechnologyasoneoftheirorganization’stopthreebusinessprioritiesthrough2023and2024(seeFigure2).Currently,CFOsaremuchmorelikelythanCEOstoindicateplanstoincreasetheirorganization’sfundingforIT(81%

versus69%).This?ndingshowsasigni?canttech-relatedbullishnessamongCFOs,withpocketsofgreaterconservatismamongCEOswhoperhapshavetheireyesonabroadersetofpriorities.

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WhilemanyareasoftechnologyarelikelyofinteresttoCFOs,oneinparticularcaught

theirattention:AI.Whenaskedwhichnewtechnologywillmostsigni?cantlyaffecttheirindustryoverthenextthreeyears(through2025),bothCFOsandCEOsnamedAIastheirtoppick(seeFigure1fortheCFObreakdown).ForCFOs,this?ndingisespeciallynotablebecausetheylikelydon’thavemuchdirectexperiencewithAIyet,giventhat80%of

?nancefunctionsalreadyusingAIjuststarteddoingsointhepasttwoyears(2022or2023).2

Figure1:CFOs’InterestinAIClimbsin2023

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Tostartunlockingthepoweroftechnology,includingAI,withinthe?nancefunctionandthroughouttheenterprise,CFOsshould:

■Developacomposabletechnologystrategyforthefinancefunction—AsCFOsseektoimprovetheir?nancefunction’sdigitalcapabilities,theyshouldadoptacomposabletechnologystrategy.Inshort,theymustbuilda?exiblestrategy

designedaroundmodulartechnologysolutionsandbest-?tvendorsthatdeliverspeci?c?nancecapabilities.

ExploretheopportunitiesAIoffersthefinancefunction—CFOsshouldcraftAIuse

■casesbystartingwithabusinessobjectiveandthenidentifyingtheobstaclestoachievingit,ratherthantryingtoretro?tabusinessproblemtotheprede?ned

solutionofAI.

StrengthentheirpartnershipwiththeCIO—CFOscanhelpboosttheenterprise’s

■digitalprogress,buttheycan’tdoitalone.Theyshouldcollaboratewithakey

stakeholder:theCIO.CFOscanhelpsecurethefullbene?tsofdigitalinvestmentsfortheorganizationbymakingtheCIOastrategicpartner,improvingvisibilityinto

digitalspendinganddrivingbusinessaccountabilityfordigitaloutcomes.

GrowthIsCEOs’andCFOs’TopStrategicBusinessPriority,AlthoughTheirEmphasisonThisandOtherPrioritiesDiffers

BothCEOsandCFOscitegrowthmostoftenwhenaskedabouttheirorganization’stopstrategicbusinesspriorities.They’realsoinconsensusthatbetterpro?treturnsisthetopshiftininvestororownerexpectationsthey’llbedealingwithin2023and2024.

Tomeettheseheightenedpro?tabilityexpectationsinadisruption-heavyenvironment,

CFOsmustbereadytomakethemostofopportunitiesastheymaterialize.Gartner

research?ndsthat“capitalresponsiveness,”theabilitytoquicklyshiftcapitaltomake

signi?cantchangestoresourceallocation,iscriticaltoful?llingthataspiration.Most

companiesdon’tdothiseffectively;thosethatdoseeanaverageboostof250basis

pointsineconomicvalue.3CFOscanimprovecapitalresponsivenessbyfocusingontheorganization’sinvestmentportfolioasasetoftrade-offsandsynergies.Todothis,they

shoulddrivearelentlessinvestmentfocusonpointsofdifferentiation,nimblydirectfundingwhereitisneededandforceoperatingresourcetrade-offs

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WhileCFOsandCEOsagreeongrowthastheirtoppriority,theiremphasisonthisand

otherprioritiesdiffer.Forinstance,moreCFOsthanCEOsnamegrowthasatopprioritybyasigni?cantmargin(62%versus45%).

CEOs’secondtoppriorityistheworkforce(citingtopicslikeattractingandretaining

talent);CFOsrankthispriorityfourth,tiedwith“?nancial,”whichencompassesissueslikecash?ow,balancesheetconcernsandcapitalinvestmentsourcingandbusiness

diversi?cation,upby34%thisyearcomparedtolastyear.

Figure2:CFOsandCEOsPrioritizeGrowth,WhileOtherPrioritiesDifferinEmphasis

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Anotherpointofrelativedivergenceisonenvironmentalsustainability,withmoreCEOsthanCFOsnamingitasatopstrategicbusinesspriority.TheissuehasmoremomentumwithCEOsaswell,upby24%morethisyearcomparedtolastyear,whereas

environmentalsustainabilityhasdroppedby23%asapriorityforCFOs.CFOsshouldplaytheirpartinthisincreasinglyimportantCEOprioritybyfocusingonhowtosupportthe

organization’s?nancesthroughsustainability,suchashelpingthebusinessavoidmaterialforecastmissesduetogeopoliticalandclimatechangedisruption.

Customers’IncreasedPriceSensitivityPromptsCFOstoExplore

AlternativeIn?ationResponses,BringingTheminLineWithCEOThinkingAsCFOsandCEOsfaceconcernsabouttheeffectsofin?ation—andapotential

recession—they’repursuingoptionsbeyondtheirtypicalapproachofraisingprices,withCFOsjoiningCEOsthisyearindemonstratinganewopen-mindednesstowardother

tactics.

AlargeproportionofbothCFOs(84%)andCEOs(68%)rankin?ationasoneofthetop

threemostdamagingfactorsaffectingtheoutlookoftheirbusiness.Raisingpriceshasbeenago-totactictodealwiththisissue,butmanyCFOsinparticularrealizetheyneedtoexpandthatplaybook.Therewasan11percentagepointdrop,relativetolastyear,intheshareofCFOswhocitedincreasingpricesasoneoftheirtoptwoactionstorespondtoin?ation—drivenatleastinpartbysignsthatcustomersaretiringfromconsistent

pricerises.

ThisgreaterpricesensitivityiswhatCFOsandCEOsbelievewillbethebiggestshiftin

customerbehaviorthey’lldealwithin2023and2024.CFOs’secondmost-citedexpectedshiftincustomerbehavior—constraineddemand—alsospeakstocustomercaution.

Thisyear,40%ofCFOssaythatcostoptimizationisanecessaryresponseaction—

nearlydoublingfromjust23%in2022.TheshifttowardcostoptimizationbringsCFOsmuchmorecloselyinlinewithhowCEOshavebeenthinkingaboutin?ationsince2022.CEOswere(andremain)lesslikelythanCFOstocitepricehikesasatopin?ationary

responsestrategy,thoughitremainsthemostcommonlycitedresponsechoicebybothgroups(seeFigure3).

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Figure3:CFOsandCEOsTurntoCostOptimizationasAlternativetoRaisingPrices—AlthoughPriceIncreasesRemaintheTopResponse

Otheralternativestopriceincreases,suchasproductivityandef?ciencyimprovements(likeautomation)andproductchanges,areinthemixforafairpercentageofCFOsandCEOs.Bothgroups’preferenceforsupplychainoptimizationhasshrunk,yearoveryear,whichcouldindicatethateffortsinthatareaarenearingtheendoftheirabilitytooffsettheeffectofpersistentin?ation.

CFOsmustrespondtocustomers’newfoundpricesensitivityorrisklosingtheirbusiness.Togetstarted:

■

CFOsshouldaskthemselvesaseriesofsimplequestionstodeterminethe

feasibilityandextentofpotentialpriceincreases(e.g.,“Istheinputpriceriselikelytemporary?”,“Areourcompetitorsraisingtheirprices?”,“Areourcustomers

pro?table?”).

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■

CFOscommittingtoexploringmorecostoptimizationopportunitiesshouldwork

withbudgetowners,functionalheadsandbusinessunitleaderstodeterminewheretooptimizecostsbyevaluatingcosts’complexityandtheorganization’spointsofdifferentiation.

MoreCEOsThanCFOsArePrioritizingWorkforceIssues,FromConcernsAbouttheTalentShortagetoAcquiringTalentThroughM&A

CEOsarefocusedonworkforceissuestoagreaterextentthanCFOs.Accordingtothe

surveyresults,CEOscitethisareasecond-mostfrequentlyasatopbusinesspriority(aftergrowth),whileitranksonlyfourthforCFOs(seeFigure4).

Figure4:CEOsNameWorkforceTheirSecondTopStrategicBusinessPriority,WhileIt’sLoweronCFOs’List

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CEOs’urgencyaroundtalentalsoshowsupintheirthinkingaroundM&A:16%ofthem

nameacquiringtalentamongthetoptwofactorsdrivingM&Adecisionstheymightmakeinthecomingtwoyears,whereasjust4%ofCFOsdidso.This?ndingrevealsthemost

signi?cantdifferencebetweenthetwogroupsintheirthinkingonM&A,highlightingamajordivergencedespitetheiralignmentonthetopfactorsdrivingthisactivity,likediversi?cationorincreasingmarketshare(seeFigure5).

Figure5:MoreCEOsThanCFOsCiteAcquiringTalentasaTopFactorDrivingM&A

CEOsandCFOsaremorealigned,however,ontheeffectofthetalentshortage:abouthalformoreofeachgrouprankeditasoneofthetopthreemostdamagingfactorstotheir

business(59%ofCEOsand49%ofCFOsdidso).

CFOscanbolstertheirsupportfortheirCEOs’workforceconcernsbyaddressingthetalentshortagefromtwoangles:enterprisewideandwithinthe?nancefunction.

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Tounderstandandaccountfortheriskandthecostofattritionthroughouttheenterprise,CFOsshouldworkwiththeCHROtoidentifyrelevantfutureofworkscenarios,quantifyingandincorporatingthemintothelong-range?nancialplan.

Toimprovetheirretention,attractionanddevelopmentof?nancetalent,CFOsshould:

■

■

■

Offercareer-boostingopportunitiestodevelopdigitalskills.Thisstrategywillbetterengageemployeesbyprovidingthemwiththechancetolearnanddevelop,whilealsogivingthe?nancefunctionthenewdigitalcapabilitiesitneeds.

Retainvaluabledigitaltalentbycreatingasharedsenseofpurposewithinthe

function,settingupmore?exiblecareermanagementframeworksandestablishinglearningandpartnershipprogramswithcore?nancetalent.

Revamptheirjobdescriptionstoattractthebest?nancecandidates.

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Evidence

12023GartnerCEOandSeniorBusinessExecutiveSurvey.ThissurveywasconductedtoexamineCEOandseniorbusinessexecutiveviewsoncurrentbusinessissues,aswellassomeareasoftechnologyagendaimpact.Thesurveywas?eldedfromJuly2022

throughDecember2022,withquestionsabouttheperiodfrom2022through2024.One-

quarterofthesurveysamplewascollectedinJulyandAugust2022,andthree-quarters

wascollectedfromOctoberthroughDecember2022.Intotal,422activelyemployedCEOsandotherseniorexecutivebusinessleadersquali?edandparticipated.Theresearchwascollectedvia382onlinesurveysand40telephoneinterviews.ThesamplemixbyrolewasCEOs(n=277);CFOs(n=95);COOsorotherC-levelexecutives(n=19);andchairs,

presidentsorboarddirectors(n=31).ThesamplemixbylocationwasNorthAmerica(n=169),Europe(n=105),Asia/Paci?c(n=102),LatinAmerica(n=29),theMiddleEast(n=11)andSouthAfrica(n=6).Thesamplemixbysizewas$10millioninrevenuetoless

than$50million(n=3),$50milliontolessthan$250million(n=51),$250milliontolessthan$1billion(n=102),$1billiontolessthan$10billion(n=190)and$10billionor

more(n=76).Disclaimer:Resultsofthissurveydonotrepresentglobal?ndingsorthe

marketasawhole,butre?ectthesentimentsoftherespondentsandcompaniessurveyed.

22023GartnerFinanceLeadersAISurvey.Thissurveypolled133international?nanceleadersin2Q23tohelp?nanceleaderstounderstandhowthe?nancepracticeiscurrentlyimplementingAI.WealsosoughttounderstandwhatactionsleadtoearlysuccessinAIdeployment.

32021GartnerEnablingFlexibleCapitalDeploymentSurvey.2021GartnerCapital

AllocationSurvey:ThissurveywasconductedfromJunethroughJuly2021to

understandhowCFOsenablecapitalmobilitytodrivevaluerealization.Theresearchwasconductedonlineamong100respondentsinNorthAmerica,WesternEuropeandAsia.

Qualifyingorganizationshadatleast$250millionorequivalentintotalannualrevenuefor?scalyear2020.Allindustrysegmentsquali?edforthesurvey.Further,the

questionnairesoughtresponsesfromtheseniorbusinessleaderorgeneralleaderhavingpro?t-and-lossresponsibilities.Disclaimer:Resultsofthissurveydonotrepresentglobal?ndingsorthemarketasawhole,butre?ectthesentimentsoftherespondentsand

companiessurveyed.

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