Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Editor's Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction – Leading within and across the functions
- Section I The Business Imperatives
- Section II The CXOs: Within the Functions
- 5 The Chief Marketing Officer – Creating, delivering and communicating value to customers
- 6 The Chief Sales Officer – Sell, sell, sell!
- 7 The Chief Supply Chain Officer – Designing and managing lean and agile supply chains
- 8 The Chief Manufacturing Officer – Process execution, improvement and design
- 9 The Chief Financial Officer – A capital position
- 10 The Chief Technology Officer – Corporate navigator, agent of change and entrepreneur
- 11 The Chief Information Officer – Achieving credibility, relevance and business impact
- 12 The Chief Human Resources Officer – Delivering people who can deliver
- 13 The Corporate Governance Officer – From company secretary to manager of governance processes
- 14 The Chief Communications Officer – Leading strategic communications
- 15 The SBU President – Perhaps the best job for the CEO-in-training
- 16 CXOs and the Line – Serving the internal customer
- Section III The CEO and the Leadership Team – Pulling it all together
- Conclusion
- Index
- References
10 - The Chief Technology Officer – Corporate navigator, agent of change and entrepreneur
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 August 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Editor's Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction – Leading within and across the functions
- Section I The Business Imperatives
- Section II The CXOs: Within the Functions
- 5 The Chief Marketing Officer – Creating, delivering and communicating value to customers
- 6 The Chief Sales Officer – Sell, sell, sell!
- 7 The Chief Supply Chain Officer – Designing and managing lean and agile supply chains
- 8 The Chief Manufacturing Officer – Process execution, improvement and design
- 9 The Chief Financial Officer – A capital position
- 10 The Chief Technology Officer – Corporate navigator, agent of change and entrepreneur
- 11 The Chief Information Officer – Achieving credibility, relevance and business impact
- 12 The Chief Human Resources Officer – Delivering people who can deliver
- 13 The Corporate Governance Officer – From company secretary to manager of governance processes
- 14 The Chief Communications Officer – Leading strategic communications
- 15 The SBU President – Perhaps the best job for the CEO-in-training
- 16 CXOs and the Line – Serving the internal customer
- Section III The CEO and the Leadership Team – Pulling it all together
- Conclusion
- Index
- References
Summary
The CTO function has its origins in both research and development (R&D) and engineering, but the scope of its responsibilities and influence vary widely across companies and industries.
The author describes how today's challenge is to strike the right balance between the central steering of technology and its operational decentralization to serve the company's businesses well. The CTO focuses on effectiveness (doing the right things) and efficiency (doing things right), but at the same time, looks to the future to identify and acquire new technologies and competencies. He/she is expected to deliver new products and processes that will create and sustain the businesses of the future and contribute directly to the company's growth and value.
The challenge for many CTOs is to change the traditional mindset in R&D, opening people to accept and integrate new technologies from outside and encourage inter-disciplinary cross-fertilization.
The CTO used to be a specialist resource within the top management team, but should now be recognized by management colleagues as a full partner in strategic discussions. For that to happen, the CTO needs to earn his/her colleagues' respect by displaying business acumen and leadership.
Chief technology officer/chief research officer: A common origin in the R&D function
I am the first person with that title [CTO] in our company. Before that, I was heading R&D in one of our four business units and most of my time was spent supervising projects for my unit and managing our large development staff. Why did we set up this CTO function? […]
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Leading in the Top TeamThe CXO Challenge, pp. 182 - 203Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2008