IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0320844.html

Executives’ IT background and corporate digital technology innovation: Evidence from Chinese microenterprises

Author

Listed:
  • Shuang Cao
  • Yingjue Wu

Abstract

This study examines how executives’ IT backgrounds affect corporate digital technology innovation, using panel data from listed companies between 2011 and 2021. Findings indicate that executives’ IT backgrounds significantly enhance corporate digital technology innovation, particularly in digital technology invention patents, where the effect is especially pronounced, and the results are robust. Mechanistic analysis suggests managerial myopia and executives’ attention to digital technology are key factors that allow executives’ IT backgrounds to promote corporate digital technology innovation. Further analysis shows executives’ IT backgrounds have a greater promotional effect on digital technology innovation in state-owned enterprises, non-IT sectors, firms with influential executives, and organizations with long-serving executives. Economic analysis reveals that executives’ IT backgrounds can improve corporate financial performance by enhancing digital technology innovation. This paper highlights the importance of executive IT human capital and provides insights into government and corporate talent recruitment policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Shuang Cao & Yingjue Wu, 2025. "Executives’ IT background and corporate digital technology innovation: Evidence from Chinese microenterprises," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(4), pages 1-20, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0320844
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0320844
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0320844
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0320844&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0320844?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lu, Juan & Li, He, 2024. "Can digital technology innovation promote total factor energy efficiency? Firm-level evidence from China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 293(C).
    2. Yang, Senmiao & Wang, Jianda & Dong, Kangyin & Jiang, Qingzhe, 2023. "A path towards China's energy justice: How does digital technology innovation bring about a just revolution?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(PA).
    3. Yuan, Sai & Zhou, Ran & Li, Mengna & Lv, Chengchao, 2023. "Investigating the influence of digital technology application on employee compensation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Wang, Zerun & Geng, Yingying & Xie, Peiyang & Peng, Ke, 2026. "Digital leadership and the development of firms’ cross-border E-commerce," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    2. Jia Liu & Jingyao Li & Shuwei Wang, 2025. "Do Executives with IT Backgrounds Influence the Selection of Corporate Auditors in the Context of Digital Innovation?—An Examination from a Sustainability Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-19, October.
    3. Yang, Hong & Pan, Yuzhen, 2026. "Executive digital backgrounds and firm investment efficiency," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    4. Dong, Xinzhong & Li, Yang, 2025. "The impact of intellectual property rights protection strength on the digital transformation of manufacturing firms," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 86(PA).
    5. Xinzi Xia & Jianxiang Zhang, 2026. "Tech‐Savvy, Business‐Wise: How IT‐Oriented Executives Drive AI Adoption," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 47(5), pages 1161-1178, July.
    6. Wu, Zhen & Si, Guoliang & Ai, Yudong & Gu, Ran & Yang, Daqian, 2026. "Confucian culture and corporate digital leadership," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zheng, ShiYong & Ding, MengLing & Li, Qing & Sohail, Sidra & Ullah, Sana, 2025. "How does environmental policy stringency affect clean energy justice? The role of digital infrastructure," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 318(C).
    2. Xu, Ru-Yu & Wang, Ke-Liang & Miao, Zhuang, 2024. "The impact of digital technology innovation on green total-factor energy efficiency in China: Does economic development matter?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    3. Li, Shan & Xing, Kai & Meng, Jixian & Yang, Xiaoguang, 2025. "How does the innovation of digital and green technology integration promote corporate environmental performance," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    4. Shenhua Liu & Deheng Xiao, 2024. "Can Big Data Comprehensive Pilot Zone Promote Low-Carbon Urban Development? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-15, December.
    5. Yang, Hong & Pan, Yuzhen, 2026. "Executive digital backgrounds and firm investment efficiency," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    6. Yannam, Yeswanth Reddy & Gao, Jinghang & Shi, Jian & Datta, Aparajita & Wang, Kailai & Krishnamoorti, Ramanan & Powell, Joseph B. & Sengupta, Debalina & Ye, Xinyue, 2026. "Toward a human-centered energy transition: Concepts, models, challenges, and research opportunities," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    7. Yang, Senmiao & Jiang, Wanxin & Wang, Jianda, 2025. "How does ICT agglomeration promote green technology innovation? Evidence from Yangtze River Delta in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    8. Zhao, Xing & Liu, Changruiqing & Lee, Chien-Chiang, 2026. "Achieving a just transition toward a low-carbon society: Evidence from alleviating energy poverty," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 348(C).
    9. Yang, Senmiao & Dong, Kangyin & Wang, Jianda & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad, 2024. "Blessings or curses? Exploring the impact of digital technology innovation on natural resource utilization efficiency in China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    10. Wang, Xiaodong & Deng, Yunfeng & Mao, Xiaomeng, 2025. "The impact of bank digital transformation on enterprises digital technology innovation in China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    11. Qing, Lingli & Shen, Pin & Ma, Xiang & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad, 2026. "Government audit digitalization and corporate energy efficiency for climate mitigation," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    12. Fang Zhou & Ye Zhao & Ran Liang & Siwei Zhu, 2026. "Does the combination of low-carbon and innovative policies promote the high-quality development of enterprises?—A quasi-natural experiment based on the “dual pilot” of low carbon and innovation cities," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 28(1), pages 115-133, January.
    13. Yang, Bo & Cui, Ya, 2025. "Can the energy consumption rights trading system enhance energy resilience?–A synergistic perspective of green finance and financial technology," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 322(C).
    14. Mao, Songsheng & Tang, Tingfeng & Yang, Gongyan, 2025. "Does digital transformation reduce China's corporate pollution emission intensity?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    15. Niu, Niu & Ma, Junhua & Zheng, Deyuan & Lu, Yang & Zhang, Bin, 2025. "Extreme weather and the green transition of energy firms: The moderating effect of digital technology and digital inclusive finance," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    16. Succurro, Marianna & Donati, Cristiana, 2025. "The role of the regulatory framework in enhancing SMEs’ digital transformation," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    17. Xiao, Deheng & Xu, Jinlong & Li, Qiyuan, 2024. "The “Double-Edged Sword” effect of air quality information disclosure policy—Empirical evidence based on the digital transformation of Chinese listed companies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    18. Bakhsh, Satar & Zhang, Wei & Ali, Kishwar & Anas, Muhammad, 2024. "Transition towards environmental sustainability through financial inclusion, and digitalization in China: Evidence from novel quantile-on-quantile regression and wavelet coherence approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    19. Ya Su & Diyun Peng & Yafei Wang & Zhixiong Tan, 2025. "The Impact of Government Open Data on Firms’ Energy Efficiency: Analyse the Mediating Role of Capacity Utilization and Biased Technological Progress," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-20, August.
    20. Han, Yinjie & Cheng, Peng, 2025. "The non-linear link between TMT cash compensation and digital transformation," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 86(PG).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0320844. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.