Should an organization has both a CIO and CTO?  are these roles overlapping and conflicting or there are benefits of having both roles?

3.7k viewscircle icon3 Upvotescircle icon10 Comments
Sort by:
CIO & Digital Transformation Advisor - Independent Consultant in Software6 years ago

I strongly believe that an organization need both the roles. It also requires good amount of Org Structure strategy by the C-circle in this. One could face internally and the other could face externally. Examples of industry leadership on digital transformation, competitive advantage building, etc requires enormous effort in looking from outside-in whilst CTO loos from inside-out. Both the efforts of CIO and CTO will hands-shake / overlap to some extent which should intersect with strategic circle of company's direction of business plans, growth plans, service plans, business development plans, financial initiatives, etc. etc. This would be a great topic for further discussion with other CIOs and CTOs and I am all available for such a critical discussion...

Lightbulb on1
CIO in Education6 years ago

There are benefits in having both roles. The CIO can focus on the strategic elements and business relationships, and the CTO can keep the operations running in a perfect scenario.

Director of IT6 years ago

As these roles are different in nature & make sense to have it separated. However it depends on the nature of the company & its business. 
Of course the responsibilities needs to be clarified in various levels

Lightbulb on1
VP of IT in Manufacturing6 years ago

Not all companies need both roles, it will depend on the size and nature of the "product(s)" of the company.  There are many definitions of these roles, and they will again vary by company.  I have seen many variations in the companies I have worked for.

If both roles are available, it is important to clearly define roles & responsibilities so there is no turf wars or disputes, they are just too toxic and very unproductive.

My company has both roles and its very clearly defined what each role's responsibilities are. 

Lightbulb on2
CIO in Transportation6 years ago

It depends on size of the organisation. Though there is a lot of overlap, if the two roles are divided into Information & Technology it may greatly help an organisation.

Lightbulb on1

Content you might like

Over reach by an aggressive prosecutor ?6%

UBERs prior CEO should be the one charged ?39%

This sort of payment/use of bug bounty happens routinely ?30%

CISOs/CSOs are now on notice for the actions they take ?16%

I am going to do a deep dive on my bug bounty program immediately ?2%

Most companies do some sort of breach coverup - especially when it comes to potential IP theft?4%

View Results

Yes.55%

Haven't decided yet.33%

No.10%

View Results