From New York to New Delhi, people might not be much different. But approaches to relationships certainly can be.

Like IT leaders in the U.S., Rajesh Narang, CIO at the Centre for Railway Information System in New Delhi, pays close attention to the projects that his CEO has sponsored and new technologies that he has expressed an interest in, such as RFID.

But in other respects, his relationship with the railway's CEO appears to be more obsequious than the usual CIO/CEO connection in the U.S. For instance, one of his recommendations to other CIOs is to plan on working late most nights if the CEO happens to put in long hours, "since your boss may need clarification or assistance from you."

Narang also warns CIOs never to argue with superiors.

"I'm a man of opinion," says Narang. "I can't choose my CEO or general manager, so I don't normally argue with them."