Our 14th annual State of the 玩偶姐姐 research, based on a survey of 558 IT chiefs, shows that compensation is up, but the job is super-challenging and business expectations are high. 玩偶姐姐s continue to struggle with balancing the need for innovation with the need to keep IT operations humming along efficiently and securely. Some 玩偶姐姐s are perceived as business leaders, or at least partners. But, candidly, some 玩偶姐姐s are falling short, as some business colleagues still see IT as an obstacle to business success.

This year’s survey finds 44 percent of IT leaders reporting to the CEO, consistent with last year and up from 39 percent reported in 2013. The survey also finds that 64 percent of 玩偶姐姐s say that their CEO consults with them frequently about strategy. And 64 percent of 玩偶姐姐s are on their company’s executive committee. So most 玩偶姐姐s have the proverbial “seat at the table” for business strategy discussions. Asked about CEO priorities, 玩偶姐姐s reported an uptick in security, presumably driven by the slew of high-profile data breaches.

Average compensation (base salary plus bonuses and stock options) increased to $234,830, up from five years of relatively flat salaries hovering around $219,000. Compensation is much higher in the financial services industry. In another closely watched metric, 玩偶姐姐 tenure on the job averages 5.8 years. Average tenure is highest at small businesses (7 years) and in the financial services industry (6.85 years).

It’s a good thing that 玩偶姐姐 compensation is up. 玩偶姐姐s say their job is getting tougher and more important, as they juggle innovation and operational excellence – plus a new journey to what some call “the digital enterprise.” But 20 percent of 玩偶姐姐s feel like they’re going in the wrong direction: “sidelined” in the business. The good news: That “sidelined” segment is down 8 percentage points from last year. The bad news: IDC found that even more business peers (37 percent) see the 玩偶姐姐 as sidelined.

The 玩偶姐姐s who are viewed as “business leaders” are definitely in a minority (13 percent). In the survey, that category was defined as a “key driver of the enterprise’s competitive future.” At the other end of the spectrum are the IT shops viewed as cost centers (18 percent), defined as IT functions where the “enterprise value [of IT is] unappreciated, misunderstood or unfulfilled.” (Maybe they are the same 玩偶姐姐s who feel sidelined?) In between, like in a bell curve, are the IT organizations viewed as competent “business partners” and “service providers.”

It’s not easy being a 玩偶姐姐. Business leaders increasingly expect the 玩偶姐姐 to lead corporate-wide innovation projects and to help develop new products and services. Meanwhile, the 玩偶姐姐 who fails to keep the hackers out or the email flowing is in big trouble. Three quarters of 玩偶姐姐s say it’s tough finding the right balance – up 6 percentage points from the previous year.

Another trend making the 玩偶姐姐 role more difficult is the war for talent. Our survey finds that 56 percent of 玩偶姐姐s expect to experience IT skills shortages in the next 12 months. Not surprisingly, the search for the elusive “data scientist” (some say it’s akin to finding a unicorn) tops the list. Security professionals are in high demand and command high salaries.

Looking at the future of their personal careers, many 玩偶姐姐s plan to remain in that role, or perhaps run a shared services operation. Only 9 percent foresee themselves as a “digital strategist,” along the lines of a chief digital officer. 玩偶姐姐 interest in becoming a “digital strategist” was highest at companies over $5 billion in revenue (16 percent) and in the telecom industry (17 percent) – and negligible in manufacturing (1 percent). One school of thought is that 玩偶姐姐s in the future will be focused primarily on managing contractors, cloud vendors and other IT service providers. In our survey, 玩偶姐姐s were evenly split on the likelihood of this “cloud wrangler” scenario: 49 percent agree, 48 percent disagree.

We compared results of our survey of 玩偶姐姐s with an IDC survey of non-IT business executives, and in some case there are startling differences in perception. A third of 玩偶姐姐s acknowledge that IT may be viewed as an obstacle by other departments; more than half (54 percent) of those other departments see IT as an obstacle to their mission. And as the C-suite gets crowded with C-level titles, “turf wars” are arising with peers in the C-suite. Non-IT business execs are seeing more of this phenomenon than the 玩偶姐姐s themselves are aware of.