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19 - Relations Among CXOs – Competing priorities spell trouble

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 August 2009

By
Jean-Louis Barsoux
Edited by
Preston Bottger
Preston Bottger
Affiliation:
IMD International, Lausanne
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Summary

Trying to push through a technology project, the CTO said of his marketing colleagues: ‘If they find facts to support their view, they grab it at face value. Anything that contradicts their view, they put through a micro-fine sieve.’ The head of marketing reciprocated by saying, ‘If they don't like the data, they say it is flawed and go on their merry way …’

We have surveyed the important types of CXO positions, culminating with the CEO. In this chapter and the next, we turn our attention to how well, or poorly, the incumbents work together.

In this chapter, which is more conceptual in its treatment of topics than previous and future chapters, we explore the critical twin challenges of CXO conflict and cohesion, both good and bad. This sets the platform for the following chapter, which examines important real-life challenges: both for CXOs working together, and in working with line colleagues as part of the top team.

Combining different perspectives

In examining the various CXO functional roles, the previous chapters have diagnosed the distinctive objectives, responsibilities, challenges, relationships and time orientations that characterize the different functions.

These distinguishing features mean that CXOs in different areas develop different scanning and information processing systems. In other words, they tend to notice and filter out different data relating to technologies, products, markets and people. And, even when they look at the same information, they will tend to interpret it idiosyncratically, each seeing different implications in it.

Type
Chapter
Information
Leading in the Top Team
The CXO Challenge
 , pp. 365 - 376
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2008

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