The CDO is driving comprehensive change across the organisation. While he or she is directly responsible for a number of key tasks crucial for the success of this transformation, the CDO also needs to interact effectively with almost all other departments of the organisation, typically in a matrix-style approach.
In order to drive forward the digitalisation agenda, the CDO and the CDO Office will work with the other CxO functions (see table below) for highlights of those interactions).[1]
Given the number and variety of necessary interactions with other departments in the enterprise, the CDO needs to act from a position of strength as regards the ability to influence the enterprise.Â
We have elaborated on this in the previous section on leadership. As a manifestation of this position, the CDO must be given a seat on the Executive Board, so he or she can act on a level playing field with colleagues across all the dimensions previously discussed.
Detailed consideration must be given specifically to the interaction between the CMO/CSO roles and the CDO. As the CDO defines the core thrust of the future strategy and digital client experience, the CMO/ CSO functions should be brought into the CDO department. The same holds for the CIO function as the backbone of the implementation of the digital strategy. However, good arguments can be made for and against the construct of the CMO/CSO and the CIO reporting to the CDO. The actual choice depends on the particular situation in the enterprise.
It is also evident that the creation of this new role, with its multiple tight interactions with other functions, has the potential to trigger conflicts in the organisation.
The leadership team must be aware of this conflict potential from the outset and develop the means to immediately identify, address, discuss and alleviate such conflicts as they occur.
These conflicts are not anomalies, but rather are clear signs that the fundamental change stemming from digitalisation is actually transforming the organisation.
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[1] Hughes, P.: ‘The Rise of the Chief Digital Officer’, Deloitte Digital, 2015.
