Change agent: agile CFO

Strategic Direction

ISSN: 0258-0543

Article publication date: 28 August 2007

337

Keywords

Citation

Lukens, S. (2007), "Change agent: agile CFO", Strategic Direction, Vol. 23 No. 9. https://doi.org/10.1108/sd.2007.05623iad.010

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited


Change agent: agile CFO

Change agent: agile CFO

Lukens S. Financial Executive, April 2007, Vol. 23 No. 3, Start page: 30, No. of pages: 3

Purpose – To discuss how chief finance officers (CFOs) can help to support innovation. Design/methodology/approach – Recognizes that modern CFOs must be key contributors to innovation and business strategy and relates this to the top three imperatives identified by a survey of chief executives. Sees the first step as helping to identify and enable business model innovation opportunities by providing the right information, e.g. by centralizing risk and performance data, using shared services and/or outsourcing etc. Points out that strategy, data and technology should be integrated to enable collaborative innovation and that CFOs can help to drive simplification and standardization to reduce barriers to collaboration. Discusses how the finance function can track innovation without stifling it, fund appropriate investment and approach its management in a different way. Originality/value – Looks at ways in which CFOs can support innovation.ISSN: 0895-4186Reference: 36AL633

Keywords: Accountants, Corporate strategy, Information, Innovation, Integration

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