The Battle For Supply Chain Leadership: Analysing The Synergy and Conflict Between The Chief Technology Officer (cto) and The Chief Operating Officer (coo)

Digitalization has transformed Supply Chain Management (SCM) into a strategic factor, generating a complex overlap in responsibilities between the Chief Tech-nology Officer (CTO) and the Chief Operating Officer (COO). This research ex-plores the dynamics of synergy and conflict between these C-level roles, analyz-ing how different leadership models impact operational efficiency, technology adoption, resilience, and innovation capacity in SCM. Using a qualitative, multi-case approach and triangulation of secondary sources, three global companies ini-tially were examined (Apple Inc., Puma SE, and Ford Motor Company), extend-ing the analysis of the comparative framework later to a broader set of global companies that exemplify the three leadership models obtained. The results demonstrate that Shared Leadership is the most effective model, achieving an op-timal balance that maximizes efficiency, innovation, and resilience. Dominant Leadership accelerates technology adoption but creates operational friction and limits adaptability. Reactive Leadership, on the other hand, leads to fragmentation, redundancy of effort, and a negative impact on efficiency and resilience. The re-search concludes that the success of digitized SCM lies in strategic coordination and cross-functional synergy, overcoming barriers such as budget allocation and project prioritization. The study offers a practical framework for companies to balance the CTO's technological vision with the COO's operational knowledge, transforming digitization into a sustainable competitive advantage.