As companies move to catch up with the digital future, they are taking a close look at what kind of executive they need to lead the way. PwC’s recent strategy consulting report, The right CDO for your company’s future, defines five Chief Digital Officer (CDO) ‘archetypes’ description of typical roles CDOs might play within an organisation.
The progressive thinker
This executive’s mission is to think imaginatively about how the business could be transformed through digitisation, and to provide the inspiration as the company moves to a fully digital strategy and operating model.
The creative disruptor
Unlike the progressive thinker, the creative disrupter has a more hands-on approach to developing new digital technologies and business models.
The customer advocate
These executives, who typically report to the Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Sales – or could even replace them – are mainly market-driven and customer satisfaction orientated. The customer advocate focuses on the development of a convenient, engaging and seamless customer experience using design thinking across all channels, digital and physical.
The innovative technologist
Much like a highly innovative and business focused Chief Information Officer or Chief Technology Officer, this CDO promotes the use of new digital technologies to transform the company’s entire value chain, providing the technological groundwork for new digital business models through technologies such as the Internet-of-Things, mobility, social media and analytics, while improving internal efficiency and finding ways to cut costs.
In Association with
The Universalist
This CDO’s mission is to manage all aspects of a complete digital transformation. The most visionary of the five archetypes, the universalist can succeed only by having a forceful mandate from the CEO and full power to execute on it.
PwC says seeing demand for CDOs is rising and the competition for the best ones will only intensify. However, many companies remain unsure of what they want or need in a digital leader.
LIKELY QUESTONS AT A CDO INTERVIEW
• How are you ensuring that you are investing in the right technologies to enable open engagement with your customers and wider stakeholder groups?
• Have you identified the right capabilities to support you from strategy to execution?
• Is your innovation geared towards generating offerings that meet big societal needs and generate good long-term ROI?
• What are you doing to enable your people to work towards better meeting new and wider stakeholder expectations?
• How are you working with government to create better outcomes for customers and employees?
Click here for further corporate insights in PwC's 2016 Irish CEO Pulse Survey
