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That person, we propose, should be the CTO. The difference lies principally in that a CTO is equally concerned with product development and technology development per se, while a chief digital officer is more oriented toward business models and digital products and also tends to be more internally focused than a CTO exhibit. The CTO is not responsible for delivering products every quarter, but if you miss the Internet or a similar technical inflection point, fire him.
Companies can often uncover new, transformative opportunities by finding the ideas that fall between the cracks in the organization and scaling new initiatives so that every business unit benefits.
For example, the impact of 3-D printing might lead to the formation of a center of competence shared by various businesses; or a disruptive plastic material like polyether ether ketone could replace metal components in multiple product categories, requiring a joint-assessment method. Finding and exploiting such opportunities is another responsibility of the CTO.
A CTO who can enable an organization to turn this abundance of threats and opportunities into sustainable success in the marketplace must have a number of qualities: Equally important as such personal qualities, however, is how the CTO role is configured for a given individual and a given company. For executing on the right combination of responsibilities listed above, we have identified four distinct potential CTO styles Exhibit 4.
While each type of CTO can be successful, it is crucial to identify quickly which approach will work best within a particular company. Which style best suits a given company bears some relation to the kind of industry the company is in. Enablers are more managerial, tasked with driving efficiencies in multi-business-unit organizations with a high degree of overlap in technologies and projects among the business units. Owners, for the most part, are found in single-product companies or firms whose products are similar , where one person can keep everything in his or her head.
Auto OEMs are the classic example of companies where owners can be successful in the CTO role—not surprising in a single-product business with limited disruptions historically, and where technical and engineering excellence need to be represented on the top team. This may change as the industry moves toward multi-business-unit structures given the emerging emphasis on mobility services in the sector. All that said, the styles of influencer and owner are typically the most challenging to execute.
Conversely, owners have that power, but are more likely to become disconnected from market realities, sometimes leading to product-development blunders or to resentment from the business units. The key is to grant the CTO the right amount of hard power. Enablers get positive power: Challengers get negative power: Yet no matter which of these four styles makes the most sense for a particular individual and a particular organization, the fundamental requirement is the same: If ceaseless technological change is now inevitable—which of course it is—having a CTO today seems nothing less than an imperative.
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Toggle search field Toggle search field. Why you need a CTO—and how to make her successful. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. Here's how restrictions apply. Review "The only in-depth book about the CTO position.
I'd like to read this book on Kindle Don't have a Kindle? Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Showing of 4 reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Quite possibly the most worthless book I've ever purchased.
Ok, I get that CTO is a title applied to many different people with many different responsibilities and that makes the role hard to define exactly. The same is true for many other positions, and yet somehow books are written that at least attempt to define a broadish spectrum so that we have a working definition -- knowing a every specific case will be a subset of the range. This book comes off as a loosely related collection of academic papers, thrown together and given a glossy cover. I would apologize for being so harsh, but I won't apologize for telling the truth. Chapter 1 to 4 are essential for anyone interested on the CTO role.
For me the Chapter 2 was amazing clear to describe the CTO based on the company stage. The rest is very generic to business and Only the first few chapters are useful.
The rest is very generic to business and do nothing to define the role of CTO. One person found this helpful. See all 4 reviews. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway.
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Amazon Inspire Digital Educational Resources. All that said, the styles of influencer and owner are typically the most challenging to execute. Search Toggle search field. BlueSteps members have access to: To help them frame their response, I asked them to consider a comparison between CIO and CTO roles as there is often a grey area between the definitions of these positions.
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