Visualizza wikitesto di Chief operating officer

{{Original research|date=July 2010}}
{{Cleanup|date=July 2010}}

A '''chief operating officer''' (or '''chief operations officer'''; '''COO''') can be one of the highest-ranking executives in an organization and comprises part of the "[[corporate title|c suite]]".  The COO is responsible for the [[operations management|daily operation]] of the [[corporation|company]].  The COO routinely reports to the highest ranking executive, usually the [[chief executive officer]] (CEO) and may also carry the title of [[president]], especially if the highest ranking executive is the [[chairman]] and CEO.  In some cases, the duties of COO may be carried out by a sub-C-Suite executive such as a ''Director of Operations'', ''Operations Director'', ''Vice-President of Operations'', or ''Executive Director''.

==COO roles==

The role of the COO differs from industry to industry and from organization to organization.  Some organizations function without a COO, such as [[CIBC]] (see below). Others may have a couple COOs each assigned to oversee several business lines or divisions, such as [[Lehman Brothers]] from 2002-04 when Bradley Jack and Joseph M. Gregory were the co-COOs.<ref>[http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2010/04/lehman-wives-201004]</ref>

A COO could also be brought in from other organizations as a "fixer", such as Daniel J. O'Neill who in 1999 joined [[Molson]] in that capacity.<ref>[http://www.docshare.com/doc/81731/Case-Examining-the-Molson-acquision-of-Bavari]</ref>

===COO as successor===

Routinely in large organizations the COO will be the [[heir apparent]] to the CEO.  They may have worked their way through the company holding different positions of responsibility before being named COO.  Or may just be the choice of the outgoing CEO, and were made COO to groom them to take over.

At certain companies there is no long-term COO. For instance at [[CIBC]] and [[Bank of Montreal]], the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) was created for [[Gerald T. McCaughey]] and [[Bill Downe]], respectively. This was to facilitate the transition, as a means of grooming the future CEO before the current CEO retired. The newly appointed COO took over day-to-day and strategic planning, while the outgoing CEO is relegated to advisory duties. Once the new CEO was formally installed, the COO position was not replaced.

===COO in manufacturing===

In the manufacturing sector, the main role of the COO is routinely on operations management, meaning that they are responsible for the development, design, operation, and improvement of the systems that create and deliver the firm's products.  The COO is responsible for ensuring that business operations are efficient and effective and that the proper management of resources, distribution of goods and services to customers, and analysis of queue systems is done.

==Functions of a COO==

COO's ideally need to have domain knowledge of the business & industry, understand modern management theories ([[Total Quality Management]], [[Kaizen]]), employ process/quality improvement techniques ([[business process reengineering]], [[Six Sigma]]) and sometimes quality process standards if required by customers or desired by the company ([[ISO 9001]]).

Functions of a COO:

# Marshal limited resources as set out by the [[chief executive officer]] and the [[board of directors]] to the most productive uses with the aim of creating maximum value for the company's stakeholders. 
# Lead by developing and cascading the organizations strategy/mission statement to the lower ranking staff, and implementing appropriate rewards/recognition and coaching/corrective practices to align personnel with company goals.
# Plan by prioritizing customer, employee and organizational requirements
# Maintaining and monitoring staffing, levels, Knowledge-Skills-Attributes (KSA), expectations and motivation to fulfill organizational requirements
# Drive performance measures for the measurement of an operation's performance and consideration of efficiency versus effectiveness, often in the form of dashboards convenient for review of high level key indicators.

==List of notable COOs==

{{Expand list|date=July 2010}}

The following is subdivided into current and former COO's as of August 2010.  This list is incomplete and subjective as towards the notoriety of the individual.

===Current===

* '''[[Timothy D. Cook]]''', [[Apple Inc.]] since 2007; also served as Acting-CEO during [[Steve Jobs|Steve Jobs']] medical leaves in 2004 and 2009
* '''[[Sheryl Sandberg]]''', [[Facebook]] since 2008
* '''Don Thompson'''<ref>[http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company/bios/don_thompson.html Biography of Don Thompson]</ref>, [[McDonald's]] since 2010
* '''[[Brian Kevin Turner]]''', [[Microsoft|Microsoft Corp.]] since 2010
* '''[[Christopher E. Kubasik]]''', [[Lockheed Martin Corporation]] since 2010; previously served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Vice President and Controller

===Former===

* '''Janice Fields'''<ref>[http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company/bios/janice_l_fields.html Biography of Janice Fields]</ref>, McDonald's USA Executive Vice-President and COO (2006–2010) then President (2010–Present)
* '''[[Roger Goodell]]''', [[NFL]] Executive Vice-President and COO (2001–2006) then Commissioner (2006–Present)
* '''[[Jeffrey Skilling]]''', [[Enron]] President and COO (1997–2001) then CEO (2001) until his resignation in 2001
* '''[[Robert W. Pittman]]''', [[AOL]] (1996-2001) and [[AOL Time Warner]] (2001-2002)

==Sources==

{{cite book |title= Riding Shotgun: The Role of the COO |last= Bennett |first= Nathan |coauthors= [[Stephen A. Miles]] |year= 2006|publisher= Stanford University Press |location= Stanford, California |isbn= 0804751668|page= |pages= |url= |accessdate=}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Corporate titles}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chief Operating Officer}}
[[Category:Business and financial operations occupations]]
[[Category:Corporate governance]]
[[Category:Management occupations]]

[[de:Chief Operating Officer]]
[[es:Jefe de operaciones]]
[[fr:Directeur général]]
[[it:Direttore operativo]]
[[ja:最高執行責任者]]
[[pt:Chief operating officer]]
[[ru:COO]]
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[[zh:首席运营官]]