The personal aspects of an emerging role: Chief Digital Officer.

Abstract

In recent years, the digitalization phenomenon has been increasingly discussed. With its implementation, Digital Transformation, digitalization is entering, in a disruptive way, within organizations, but also in the consumers daily life. A phenomenon as transversal as it is complex, which draws on technological progress with the radical aim of creating value by changing business models, processes, strategies, behaviours and ways of acting. Therefore, it is essential to be able to exploit and channel all its possible potentials and opportunities in the best possible way, in order to obtain an advantage. For this reason, companies need a business figure, with strong authority and great skills, who is able to manage and develop this phenomenon. This figure is identified with Chief Digital Officer. This new and emerging role is considered a solution to the problem that companies encounter when facing the phenomenon of Digital Transformation. A bridge that connects the traditional analog world with a digital one, which invades multiple sectors and industries at a high and unassailable pace. Thus, starting with a literature review it was decided to analyse and deepen the less studied fields of this new figure. The result is an articulated and precise paper that introduces the general aspects of Digital Transformation, which elaborates in-depth insights on the Chief Digital Officer role and which has as its ultimate goal to answer the research question: What are the personal aspects of a Chief Digital Officer? A qualitative approach was selected to deal with this purpose. In fact, with data collected through direct interviews with Chief Digital Officers, an attempt was made to shed light on the topic, proposing key points and new broad views on the personal domain of this role.