In a world where business parameters are constantly changing, where uncertainty and geopolitical instability are on the rise, successful corporate transformation is one of the most critical – and most difficult – tasks for the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO). Adjusting to new conditions, which in an age of digitalization and hypercompetition often has to happen in real time, is akin to open-heart surgery. Strategies have to be developed, support organized, resistance overcome, patterns broken, exemplary behaviors demonstrated, routines rehearsed, successes (or failures) measured – while the operation is in full swing. How does the CSO position himself in this environment? What role does he adopt? What priorities does he set, how does he interact with other stakeholders? What makes him succeed – and what lets him fail? These questions stand in the limelight of our fourth CSO Survey, the leading international study of chief strategists and strategy departments. This year, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and the University of St. Gallen asked nearly 600 companies from more than 15 countries for a self-assessment. About 160 participated in the survey, and this 27% response rate testifies to the high degree of acceptance that the CSO Survey has achieved in its target group.