Who should be responsible for driving technology alignment in an organization?

Who should be responsible for driving technology alignment in an organization?

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Technology alignment should be a shared responsibility across business leaders, IT teams, and executive sponsors. However, ownership typically resides with the CIO or CTO, while strategic influence comes from the CEO and functional heads.

Key Roles:

  • Chief Information Officer (CIO) / Chief Technology Officer (CTO):

    • Translate business strategies into technical architectures and roadmaps.

    • Lead technology adoption, integration, and governance.

  • Business Unit Heads:

    • Define the business goals and success metrics tech must support.

  • Chief Executive Officer (CEO):

    • Provide vision and ensure alignment is a board-level priority.

  • IT-Business Liaisons:

    • Act as connectors between departments, ensuring user feedback shapes IT decisions.

Structure for Success:

  • Cross-functional digital transformation teams

  • A technology steering committee or governance board

  • Regular alignment meetings between IT and operations

Supporting Culture:

  • Encourage co-creation of projects (not IT-led alone)

  • Foster transparency and accountability across teams

In short, alignment thrives when both strategic ownership and cross-functional collaboration are embedded into the organizational structure.