Role of the Chief Technology Officer

Given the title of my Blog Chief Technology Officers Blog I thought it would be a good idea to briefly explore its
namesake.
The role of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) is one of the least defined and understood corporate executive
roles (such as CEO, COO, CFO, CIO, etc). The role has been gaining prominence in many organizations, as
witnessed with the newly created position of Chief Technology Officer of the United States. This can be attributed
to the growing impact of technology on both organizations and society, and highlights an expansion of
focus beyond Research and Development to broader Competitive Strategy.
According to Wikipedia
A chief technical officer or chief technology officer(abbreviated as CTO) is an executive position whose holder is
focused on scientific and technical issues within an organization. Essentially, a CTO is responsible for the
transformation of capital be it monetary, intellectual, or political into technology in furtherance of the
companys objectives.
The size and type of the organization heavily influences the responsibilities of a CTO. For instance, a small
technology company would involve more hands-on technical responsibilities than a large financial
services company, which would involve more responsibilities associated with technology standards and integration.
Where the roles of CTO and CIO coexist within an organization, the CTO is typically responsible for the companys
technology direction (R&D) with a focus on commercialization outcomes, whereas the CIO is typically responsible
for the companys business systems supporting the flow of information.
The white paper The Role of the CTO: Four Models for Success written by Tom Berray and Ray Sampath
provides interesting insight into the role of the CTO based on discussions with hundreds of CIOs and CTOs. It
proposes a model that dissects the CTO role based on organizational needs, as follows:

CTO Role By Organizational Needs
The white paper then identifies and ranks 10 business requirements and processes needed for each of the CTO
models, which I have represented visually below:
[Green = High, Yellow = Medium, Orange = Low]
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1. Identify new technologies
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2. Exploit new technologies
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3. Integrate new technologies

4. Leverage technology across business units

5. Drive the business strategy

6. Drive revenues

7. Reduce costs

8. Enhance client relationships

9. Enhance communications and collaboration

10. Build out or leverage existing IT infrastructure
I agree that an effective CTO needs to perform each of these 10 business requirements and processes to a varying
degree depending on organizational needs. Out of interest, I rated the perceived needs of my organization against
these 10 business requirements and processes, and found the closest match for my role of CTO to be Visionary &
Operations Manager, closely followed by External-Facing Technologist.
To finish, I quote Barak Obama in his 2008 plan Science, Technology, and Innovation for a New Generation where
he announced the need to appoint the nations first Chief Technology Officer
Revolutionary advances in information technology, biotechnology, nanotechnology and other fields are reshaping
the global economy. Without renewed efforts, the United States risks losing leadership in science, technology and
innovation.