“In a proliferated company that has as many high-value product lines as Boeing, influence becomes much more important than authority,” Rogers says. “Authority imparts some measure of influence, but influence also derives from reputation, visibility, … technical breadth.” Current economic trends are imposing substantive changes, Rogers says. “Large companies will eventually outsource everything except top management. That will generate many more small companies that will be linked electronically but not necessarily geographically. … Career success will stem from developing unique competitive skills, and allying with enterprises that are effective integrators of competitive skills.” — E.E. Return to InfoWorld’s 25 Most Influential CTOs 2002 Technology Industry