Chief Strategy Officer

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The Chief Strategy Officer ( CSO ), also often referred to in German as the chief strategist , strategy leader or head of corporate development , is a functional management position that is usually responsible for developing and implementing a company's strategy .

In response to the increased uncertainty in competition and the environment, companies have increasingly formalized their strategy process in recent years and installed CSOs at management level. In contrast to the USA , where CSOs are usually located at the top management level, CSOs in German-speaking countries typically sit one level below the hierarchy and do not have a permanent seat on the board .

The range of tasks of a CSO is very diverse and can be designed differently depending on the company. Core tasks are to support the CEO in developing the corporate strategy and strategic initiatives as well as the implementation of the strategy. Often, however, CSOs are also entrusted with various other tasks, such as mergers & acquisitions , investor relations or strategy communication.

In practice, CSOs can be divided into four typical roles (consultant, specialist, coach, implementer). However, the role of a CSO is not static over time, but is continuously adapted to the needs of a company.

Due to the proximity to the CEO of a company, the CSO position often represents a kind of career springboard for managers. Well-known, former CSOs are Frank Appel , Josef Käser or Rüdiger Grube .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Chief strategy officers: Contingency analysis of their presence in top management teams, Strategic Management Journal , March 2014
  2. ^ The Chief Strategy Officer in the European Firm: Professionalizing Strategy in Times of Uncertainty, The European Business Review , May - June 2013
  3. ↑ Chief strategy officers: Contingency analysis of their presence in top management teams, Strategic Management Journal , March 2014
  4. ↑ Masters of Paradoxes, Think Act , December 2013
  5. ^ The Chief Strategy Officer in the European Firm: Professionalizing Strategy in Times of Uncertainty, The European Business Review , May - June 2013
  6. ↑ The Four Faces of the Chief Strategist, Harvard Business Manager , November 2011
  7. ^ The Strategist's Change, Think Act , November 2014
  8. ↑ The Four Faces of the Chief Strategist, Harvard Business Manager , November 2011