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Empirical identification of the chief digital officer role: A latent Dirichlet allocation approach

Author

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  • Culasso, Francesca
  • Gavurova, Beata
  • Crocco, Edoardo
  • Giacosa, Elisa

Abstract

This study examines the global demand for Chief Digital Officers (CDOs) to determine a universal CDO archetype in terms of competencies and tasks. It uses Bayesian statistics and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling to measure multiple dimensions in a sample of 518 job postings for CDO positions. Findings show the hybrid nature of newly appointed CDOs, who feature a mixture of both business administration and technological skills. Further, the study highlights the pivotal role of CDOs in terms of strategic change in companies. The study has three major contributions. First, it showcases the value of LDA in job profiling research. Second, it bridges the existing knowledge gaps in CDO literature with empirical evidence from a global dataset and identifies a core CDO profile based on data extracted through LDA. Third, it illustrates the current market requirements for CDO positions, which is useful to both companies and candidates.

Suggested Citation

  • Culasso, Francesca & Gavurova, Beata & Crocco, Edoardo & Giacosa, Elisa, 2023. "Empirical identification of the chief digital officer role: A latent Dirichlet allocation approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:154:y:2023:i:c:s0148296322007561
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113301
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    3. Alexander Viets & Stephan von Delft, 2025. "Chief Digital Officer Presence and Corporate Environmental Performance: Assessing Organizational Task Environments Under Which Their Presence Affects GHG Emissions," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(8), pages 10220-10238, December.
    4. Francesca Culasso & Elisa Giacosa & Daniele Giordino & Edoardo Crocco, 2025. "How open innovation specialists contribute to corporate sustainability and responsibility: A latent Dirichlet allocation approach," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(1), pages 174-188, January.
    5. Sun, Bing & Zhang, Yanfeng & Zhu, Kunyan & Mao, Hongying & Liang, Tian, 2024. "Is faster really better? The impact of digital transformation speed on firm financial distress: Based on the cost-benefit perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    6. Yunfei Xing & Justin Z. Zhang & Yuming He & Yueqi Li, 2025. "Toward an ecosystem of non-fungible tokens from mapping public opinions on social media," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 11(1), pages 1-24, December.
    7. Dechun Song & Juntong Zhu & Guohui Hu & Danyang He & Hong Zhao & Zongshui Wang, 2025. "Text Analysis of Policies in the Real Estate Market: Comparisons of 21 Chinese Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-33, September.

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