Guardians of Strategy in Action

It is one of many activities Accenture is undertaking to understand more about the executives we have come to know as the “guardians of strategy in action.” Over time, this research will provide thoughtful and rigorous responses to questions that are central to understanding the “when” and the “how” of best deploying the COO role.

Key Findings

• Metrics of successful performance of the job are often agreed upon after the COO has come on board.
  
  
• More than half of the COOs surveyed stated that “there are areas that I am held accountable for that are not under my full control."
  
  
• Half of the COOs reported that their on-boarding (the actions taken to install a new executive) was an ad hoc process.
  
  
• About two-thirds of COOs agree that the most important metric that is used to measure their performance is net income.
  
  
• Almost all (96 percent) respondents believe top operations executives are responsible for the long-term performance of their organizations.
  
  
• 86 percent believe they are able to affect the long-term performance of their organization; areas that COOs cite where they can most positively affect performance:
  
  
  • The integration of processes, activities and resources across the organization.
    
    
  • Overseeing the organization’s daily operations.
    
    
  • Focusing on business strategy execution.
    
    
  • Defining long-term business strategy.
    
    

To receive more Research & Insights, sign up for My Outlook your single e-mail source for all of Accenture's latest ideas and innovation, personalized specifically to your business interests and the industry issues you face.