So you’ve just hired a killer chief digital officer – now what?
| Date | 12 February 2018 |
| Pages | 17-22 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-11-2017-0073 |
| Published date | 12 February 2018 |
| Author | Michael Doonan |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Employee behaviour |
So you’ve just hired a killer chief digital
officer –now what?
Michael Doonan
Abstract
Purpose –In 2017, companieswoke up to realize that they were in the processof being disintermediated
by West Coast technologyplayers, from Google, Uber and Amazon to Facebook and Apple.Boardroom
conversations were all about the need to make a play in technology,and CEOs, CHROs and heads of
Talent all beganrecruiting Chief Digital Officers. However,newly minted Chief Digital Officers have found
themselves in new, often strange, and overly ornamental and nonfunctional environments. This paper
aims to discusshow to set a Chief Digital Officer up for success.
Design/methodology/approach –This paper presents interviews with over 100 senior Digital and
WorkforceTechnology executives.
Findings –The emergence of the Chief Digital Officeris fast tracking the evolution of old industries as
they compete in a tech-first world. However, without creating a proper support function, many CEOs,
CHROs and Heads of Talent willfind themselves cleaning up a mess rather than basking in the sun of a
digital transformation.Being able to spot what type of workplace IT executive fits your company, along
with having the right expectations and support in place for themto be successful, will allow you to have
happy,more engaged and more productive employees for yearsto come.
Originality/value –If you plan to operate in a worldof digital innovation and in the process hire a Chief
DigitalOfficer, here are the things you need to know to ensure this executive’ssuccess.
Keywords Change management, Human capital, Talent management, Talent, Transformation,
Recruitment
Paper type Viewpoint
You can hire the greatest (and most expensive) technology resources on the planet, but
unless you set them up to succeed, they are are doomed to failyou.
If 2016 was the Year of the Chief Information Security Officer, then 2017 has already shown
itself as the Year of the Chief Digital Officer. Companies across all verticals woke up to
realize that they were in the process of being disintermediated by West Coast technology
players, from Google, Uber and Amazonto Facebook and Apple. Boardroom conversations
were all about the need to make a play in technology, and CEOs, CHROs and heads of
Talent all began having serious discussionssurrounding the need for a Chief Digital Officer
and how they could get their hands on one (whether the company needed this role has
been discussed in a prior piece entitled “The Rise and (Impending?) Fall of the ChiefDigital
Officer”).
Innovation centers have begun popping up across the world, and highly skilled engineers
and scientists are now taskedwith creating new ways to evolve old businesses. Thisinflated
demand focused on a fixed supplyof technical talent has led to skyrocketing compensation
and brutal competition for talent, with companies now asking themselves, “What did we get
ourselves into?”
At the same time, newly minted Chief Digital Officers have found themselves in new, often
strange, and overly ornamental and nonfunctional environments. In an attempt to fit the
Michael Doonan is Partner
at SPMB, San Francisco,
California, USA.
DOI 10.1108/SHR-11-2017-0073 VOL. 17 NO. 1 2018, pp. 17-22, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1475-4398 jSTRATEGIC HR REVIEW jPAGE 17
To continue reading
Request your trial