In any organization, the role of a Chief Technology Officer is considered to be the pinnacle of technology. CTO is the key decision-maker when it comes to technology including strategy, planning, implementation, and personnel. It's pretty evident why it's such a sought-after position. But in the new age, a tech executive should be cross-functional; be a skilled technologist as well as an effective leader, they need to have complementary skills in their respective areas.  Evolution of the Role of a Chief Technology Officer in the Present Digital age  With digital transformation becoming a strategic priority for numerous companies, the role of a Chief Technology Officer has emerged as a key in the enterprise C-suite. Managing an organization’s research and development (R&D) as well as its technological needs is the CTO responsibility. The CTO is a lead senior executive who focuses on the technological modulations, opportunities, and defiance within the organization. It is simple to connect the booming importance of the CTO to the emergence of the Digital age wherein the world and the lives of people rely on technology. It is also evident that technology has come to be a pedigree of driving supremacy for corporates and businesses. Certainly, from being at a place that oversees the rollout of hardware and aspects of software development, the Chief Technology Officer is currently a pivotal tactical thinker and a backseat driver to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on matters concerning the across-the-board strategic direction that the corporate and the industries must take.  Throughout the company’s life cycle, the CTO responsibilities and roles change at every stage. The CTO defines success as follows: Pre-Seed Stage During this stage, the role of a Chief Technology Officer is to validate the technical feasibility of a business plan when an idea for a business has taken root. At this point, the CTO also serves as a co-founder, working without outside help to create the digital product architecture. Apart from this, CTO Responsibilities include Data security, QA management, and deployment issues. Startup and Growth Stage At the beginning stage of the business, the CTO is proactive with strategic recruitment and onboarding, training, and management.CTO responsibilities include devising a tech stack, putting forward budget proposals, and downright trying to strengthen their digital product. Rather than being a full-fledged developer, the role evolves into one of a tech visionary, HR specialist, and team leader. This is how CTO defines the success of a start-up. When a business is scaling, the CTO responsibilities can include overseeing improvement groups and assessing interactions. As the CTO drives the overall vision of the product, individual tasks such as coding or quality assurance are handled by different members of the team. The CTO is continually attentive while remaining the company's lead product engineer and framework executive. Mature and Expanding Stage At this stage, the technology team will be brimming about the great product, processes and engineering culture that are working well for the company. The Role of the Chief Technology Officer revolves around building strategic technical vision for the product to ensure that the business retains its competitive advantage by using the most relevant technology. Since the pandemic, technology has become the lifeline of businesses, and CTOs have become more significant to ensure the success of corporations. In the context of the Work from Home & lockdowns, technology certainly came to the fore for businesses and corporations. Upsurge for skilled technologists to fill in these crucial roles of the CTOs who are visionaries rose to prominence.  The Way Forward Furthermore, the importance of the CTO cannot also be overstated, as using technology without supporting the human element would result in dangerous consequences.  In the quest for the holy grail of tech, some firms are looking for technologists with soft skills, as well as value and normative attributes. Here in the Leadership of the Digital Era, all things considered, the future belongs to technologists who excel with a blend of technology expertise, empathetic mission, and solid relationship-building skills.

Authored by Richa

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