How do we decide whether a specialized technical function like internal IT infrastructure belongs as a standalone leadership seat or nested inside another function?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Organizations frequently make the mistake of creating a standalone leadership seat for every technical specialist they hire. If you elevate IT, legal, safety, or automated systems development directly into the leadership team, you end up with an unmanageable group of eight to ten people where strategic Level 10 Meetings devolve into tactical status updates.

To determine where a technical role belongs, evaluate whether the function directly drives company-wide strategic execution or if it serves as an internal utility supporting broader operations.

True leadership seats on an Accountability Chart represent the core structural pillars necessary to run the business. For most organizations, that consists of the Integrator, Sales and Marketing, Operations, and Finance. Specialized technical functions like internal IT infrastructure, data pipelines, or software stack maintenance almost always belong inside Operations or Finance.

If the technology team is building external client software that represents your core value proposition, it belongs as a core seat under Operations or a dedicated Technology seat. If the technology team is managing laptops, software seat licenses, internal servers, and security patches, it is a support role that should sit under Finance or Operations.

Keep your top-tier leadership team to three to seven seats. Every seat added at the leadership table dilutes focus, slows decision speed, and makes healthy conflict harder during quarterly Rocks planning and weekly Level 10 Meetings.