A recent article in CFO Magazine summarized some powerful findings from a recent Accenture study called “The CFO as Architect of Business Value.” The study surveyed high performance businesses (companies having above-average organizational growth, profitability, longevity and consistency of superior performance, and positioning for the future ) found that they are more likely to have CFOs heavily involved in strategic areas in addition to finance:
“The link between increased strategic engagement of the CFO and higher levels of performance across the enterprise is not a mere coincidence. High performance businesses benefit from a CFO who takes a broader business focus and a holistic view of the organization.”
The 5 key success factors include:
Align Strategy: “CFOs must develop a master strategy that aligns a wide range of business needs, determines how to prioritize scarce resources, and evaluates potential risks
Transform Operating Models: “As the ‘Architect of Business Value,’ it is up to the CFO to ensure that the company’s operating model continually evolves in a way that delivers value to the business.”
Manage and Measure Performance: CFOs must ensure that company decision make financial sense in terms of profits, cash flow, and ROI.
Embrace Digital: CFOs need to ensure the ROI on growth investments in digital technologies.
Develop Advanced Finance Capabilities: CFOs need to drive a broad range of insightful analytics and KPIs that growing businesses require.
While the study surveyed companies in many different industries, the results are still very applicable to businesses and startups here in Silicon Valley and San Francisco.