Thirty years ago, strategy was the CEO’s job. Since then, as the composition of top executive teams has changed, responsibility for leading strategy development has been shared by more members of the C-suite. The 1990s saw the rise of the strategic CFO, and more recently many companies have created a chief strategy officer (CSO) position. For chief executives, developing a good strategy is a management challenge that, at its best, involves maximizing the unique contributions of very different executives and, at its worst, requires managing counterproductive tension and turf wars between CFOs, CSOs and, quite often, business-unit heads.
Who’s Better at Strategy: CFOs or CSOs?
It’s a trick question. They’re best as a team.
January 11, 2016
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New!
HBR Learning
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Strategy Planning and Execution Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Strategy Planning and Execution. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
How to develop a winning strategy—and put it to work.
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