Speaker: Prof. Dr. Thomas Hess, University of Munich (LMU)

Abstract:

The digital transformation has become a critical management issue and requires new ways of managerial thinking. As a reaction, more and more companies are installing Chief Digital Officer (CDO) positions to support the progress of their digital transformation. Overall, we know little about this new role, which is one of the fastest-growing phenomena at top mana­ge­ment level. The aim of this talk is therefore to compile first and recent empirical findings. In detail, we initially (1) try to answer what a CDO does in practice and which managerial tasks and roles fall under the responsibility of this new role – also in comparison to other prevailing management roles. Further (2), we look at the interaction between CDO and Chief Information Officer (CIO), and their share of tasks and responsibilities. Also (3), we shed light on the management structures that companies are setting up for their digital transforma­tion activities and in which CDOs are embedded.

Biography of the Speaker:

Thomas Hess is a professor of information systems and management at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU), Munich, Germany. At LMU, he serves as director of the Institute for Information Systems and New Media and as coordinator of the Center for Internet Research and Media Integration. Also, he is board member of the MCIR (Munich Center for Internet Research), co-director of the IBC (Internet Business Cluster) and board member of the CDTM (Center for Digital Technology and Management). He holds a Ph.D. in management from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, and a diploma in information systems from the Darm­stadt University of Technology. In 2017, he was elected as a member of the Bavarian Acade­my of Sciences and Humanities.

His research focuses on the digitization of companies, and the management of ICT, Internet, and media companies as well as related digital business models. His work has appeared in journals such as Journal of Management Information Systems (where he is also a member of the board of editors), Communications of the ACM, Decision Support Systems, Information Systems Journal, International Journal of Electronic Commerce, and others.