It seems reasonable to assume that the CIO and CTO are truly different roles. Yet research suggests that the majority of CIOs think they should be both.In a recent interview for an article about business innovation and IT, I said that the fundamental differences between the roles of CIO and CTO must be clearly defined. In the context of the article’s subject matter, the CIO should be driving corporate innovation strategy while the CTO focuses on IT operational excellence.However, according to research from a major consultancy quoted in the same article, the majority of CIOs think the two roles should be combined.One reason why some CIOs find it difficult to be taken seriously as corporate strategists is because their executive colleagues have not yet seen ‘clear water’ between the CIO role and that of a CTO or IT Director. Having a clear separation between corporate strategy and day-to-day operations is a well-established business practice. There are natural tensions between the two, and each requires a very different mindset, skillset and measures of success. In the IT space however – if the quoted research is to be believed – it seems many CIOs feel that keeping corporate strategy and day-to-day operations together is the better answer. If so, why? Related content news Emirates NBD drives sustainability goals with Microsoft partnership By Andrea Benito Dec 10, 2023 2 mins CIO news COP28: How Du and Ericsson's partnership is supporting UAE Net Zero Strategy By Andrea Benito Dec 10, 2023 3 mins CIO Green IT brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks When your AI chatbots mess up AI ‘hallucinations’ present significant business risks, but new types of guardrails can keep them from doing serious damage By Paul Gillin Dec 08, 2023 4 mins Generative AI brandpost Sponsored by Dell New research: How IT leaders drive business benefits by accelerating device refresh strategies Security leaders have particular concerns that older devices are more vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. By Laura McEwan Dec 08, 2023 3 mins Infrastructure Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe