Insight
2023 Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) Survey
Embracing Change, Leading the Way: The Evolving Role of the CSO
CSOs and their Strategy teams are indispensable to the success of their organizations. Their cross-functional mindset and natural inclination to growth enables them to tackle today’s unpredictable environment and tomorrow’s challenges. And as they do so, they are transforming and evolving the Strategy function to best operate in this ever-changing landscape, becoming more nimble, interconnected, and innovative.
Since we last surveyed global chief strategy officers (CSOs) in 2022, the one constant in the world has been change. Organizations continue to wrestle with lasting operational changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitics have become increasingly combative, and the global economic situation has gone from a positive rebound to increasingly tenuous. Amid these changes, the role of the CSO is as important as ever. Organizations see the value in the CSO’s cross-functional skill set and growth-focused mindset. But the Strategy function—and the CSO’s role—must evolve at the same pace as the increasingly complex and unpredictable environment.
For the fourth iteration of our CSO survey, we surveyed 117 respondents from 20 countries with a balanced representation across geographic locations and industries, coupled with interviews we conducted with a varied set of CSOs. Our research sheds light on how the Strategy function and the CSO role have evolved over time and the proactive steps organizations are taking to keep pace with the shifting market.
