Sometimes you have to trust your gut. There are even situations when following your instincts is the best approach. Rarely, however, is strategic decision making by an executive one of those times. In an interview in the current McKinsey Quarterly, two great scholars whose studies usually represent opposing views, agree that leaders' decisions based on intuition are usually not the wisest. Princeton psychologist Daniel Kahneman won the Nobel Prize in economics in 2002 for his work in prospect theory, which deals with the counterintuitive choices make under uncertainty. Gary Klein, a senior scientist at MacroCognition, studies intuition as a powerful factor in good decision making in high-pressure situations. Yet they agree that when in comes to executives in organizational decision making, intuition is overvalued.

Management observers remain frustrated by the continuing scarcity of women in the top leadership roles at most organizations. Many advocate strenuously for prioritizing the development of women leaders. Business has changed dramatically in the last two or three decades; it's global, fast-paced, highly dynamic, and more competitive. They contend that to succeed in such an environment, companies must adapt by rethinking what constitutes great leadership. It's often women, they argue, who fit the bill for the effective leader today.

There is something ironic about CIOs' long and continuing struggle for greater recognition and respect as a member of the C team. After all, executives today are at the mercy of information: utterly dependent on data to run their companies, yet inundated by more of it than they can productively manage without technology. IT chiefs, then, should be the ones holding all the cards.

As C-level executives, CIOs run the IT organization. Two levels down the ranks, however, their middle managers make IT run. After all, these managers -- the directors of managers -- are the ones who carry out the CIO's agenda. Yet they're among the likeliest in the organization to leave. They're entrusted with interpreting the decisions CIOs make at the corporate level and putting them into action.

McKinsey on "the new normal" for CIOs

McKinsey & Co. held its annual online IT survey from October 13 to October 26, 2009, with responses from 444 executives representing all industries, regions, and company sizes.

A major part of career success in any field is being indispensable-and to be acknowledged as such. Top information officers can gain clout with other C-level executives by marketing their functions and their teams as integrated partners in business strategy.

In the May issue of The McKinsey Quarterly, McKinsey & Co. principals Jeffrey Hughes and James Kaplan explain "Where IT infrastructure and business strategy meet." The article is a concise yet instructive exploration of the ways IT infrastructure, often seen as a commodity, can create value in an organization.