Location
Hilton Hawaiian Village, Honolulu, Hawaii
Event Website
https://hicss.hawaii.edu/
Start Date
3-1-2024 12:00 AM
End Date
6-1-2024 12:00 AM
Description
Organizations are increasingly installing Chief Digital Officers (CDOs) to cope with the challenges of digital transformation (DT). Due to DT’s cross-functional nature and the far-reaching tasks involved, CDOs must wield sufficient influence to manage DT effectively. Thus far, we lack a profound understanding of how CDOs’ power is composed. To address this research gap, we conducted a multiple-case study drawing on 25 interviews across six case companies. We identify several drivers of CDOs’ power, both in terms of formal and informal power types. Particularly, we demonstrate that CDOs’ power depends not only on organizational contingencies but also on the managers’ personal characteristics. We contribute to literature by adding a power notion to discussions on DT in general and CDOs specifically. Further, we sensitize practitioners to establish the CDO role in a way that is endowed with sufficient power and shed light on how CDOs can increase their power base.
Recommended Citation
Sciuk, Christian and Hess, Thomas, "All Bark and No Bite? Toward an Understanding of Chief Digital Officers’ Power in Organizations" (2024). Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences 2024 (HICSS-57). 4.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/hicss-57/os/innovation/4
All Bark and No Bite? Toward an Understanding of Chief Digital Officers’ Power in Organizations
Hilton Hawaiian Village, Honolulu, Hawaii
Organizations are increasingly installing Chief Digital Officers (CDOs) to cope with the challenges of digital transformation (DT). Due to DT’s cross-functional nature and the far-reaching tasks involved, CDOs must wield sufficient influence to manage DT effectively. Thus far, we lack a profound understanding of how CDOs’ power is composed. To address this research gap, we conducted a multiple-case study drawing on 25 interviews across six case companies. We identify several drivers of CDOs’ power, both in terms of formal and informal power types. Particularly, we demonstrate that CDOs’ power depends not only on organizational contingencies but also on the managers’ personal characteristics. We contribute to literature by adding a power notion to discussions on DT in general and CDOs specifically. Further, we sensitize practitioners to establish the CDO role in a way that is endowed with sufficient power and shed light on how CDOs can increase their power base.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/hicss-57/os/innovation/4