数字权力下沉：CDO消失背后的组织进化

VIEWPOINTARTHUR-LITTLE

2025

THEDEATHOFTHECDO

Whytherolethatdrovechangecan’tkeepupwithit

AUTHORS

PhilippMudersbachVolkerPfirsching

MartenZieris

GeorgStrecker

Onceessential,theroleofchiefdigitalofficer(CDO)hasrunitscourse.Asdigitalembedsitselfinto

businessasusualandAIreshapesthenextfrontier,thechiefAIofficer(CAIO)hasemerged—drivenby

urgency,technicaldepth,andbusinessimpact.ThisViewpointexplorestheendofatransitionalrole,theriseofanother,andhoworganizationsmustevolve

theirdigitalleadershiplogictobuildaresilient,forward-lookingdigitalgovernancemodel.

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WHENTHECATALYST

BECOMESTHECONSTRAINT

Overthepastdecade,theCDOemergedasa

symboloftransformation.Taskedwithdriving

innovation,enablingdigitalcapabilities,and

challenginglegacythinking,theCDOwasseenastheanswertoasystemnotyetreadyforchange.Andforatime,thatanswerworked.Digital

initiativesgainedmomentum,transformation

programslaunched,andnewtechnologiesfoundtheirwayintotheenterprise.TheCDOwasthe

catalystmanyorganizationsneeded.

Butthecontexthaschanged.Digitalisnolongeranexception;itisthenorm.Technology,data,

andagilityarenowembeddedacrossfunctions.Andjustasdigitalspreads,theCDO’sauthoritycontracts.Whatoncemadetherolepowerful(itsuniqueness)nowlimitsitsrelevance.Today,manyorganizationsareasking:“Whathappenswhen

thecatalystbecomestheconstraint?”

ThisViewpointexamineswhytheCDOrolehasreachedastructuraldeadendandlooksatwhatcomesnextfordigitalleadershipinanAI-drivenworld.

Figure1.Theshiftingcenterofdigitalresponsibility

THERISE&FALLOFTHECDO

TheCDOwasnevermeanttobepermanent

TheriseoftheCDOwasamilestoneincorporatedigitalization—butitwasneverthefinal

destination.CDOswereintroducedtoclose

astrategicgap:digitaltransformationwas

deemedessential,butitlackedclearownership,budget,and/orexecutioncapacitywithin

traditionalbusinesslines.CDOsweretaskedwithorchestratingvisiblechange,includinglaunchinginnovationunits,settingdigitalstrategy,and

buildingmomentumaroundtransformation

narratives.Manyorganizationsusedtheroleasasignal(internallyandexternally)thatdigitalhadreachedtheboardroom.Overtime,the

roleevolvedfromdefiningthe“why”ofdigital

todrivingthe“how,”withagreaterfocuson

scaling,platformintegration,andcapability

building.Thisshiftproducedtwodistinctwavesofexpectations:the“earlyCDOmandate”and

thesubsequent“evolveddigitaltask.”Figure1

illustratesthisprogressionandshowswhere

mostoftheseresponsibilitieshavenowmigrated.

EARLYCDOMANDATE(2010–2015)EVOLVEDDIGITALTASK(2015–2020)TODAYOFTENANCHOREDIN...

Definedigitalvision&strategy

Leaddigitaltransformationroadmap

CEO/strategy/BUheads

Setupdigitalinnovationunits

Scalecross-functionaldigitalfactories

COO/business/product

Drivee-commerce&digitalchannels

Orchestrateomnichannelcustomerexperience

CMO/growth

Builddigitalcapabilities&culture

Launchcompany-widedigitalacademies

HR/transformationoffice

Identify&pilotemergingtechnologies

Establishtechscouting&partnerecosystems

CTO/CIO/corpdev

Championagilewaysofworking

Institutionalizeagilegovernance

COO/PMO/BUs

Ownenterprise-widedatastrategy

Implementdataplatforms&governance

CDO(data),CIO,orchiefdataanalytics

ReporttoCEOtosignalchangemandate

AligndigitalKPIswithbusinessperformance

CEO/CFO/strategy/lineP&Lowners

Source:ArthurD.Little

THEDEATHOFTHECDO2

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THEDEATHOFTHECDO3

Inmanyways,theCDOroleachievedwhatitset

outtodo:itactivateddigitaltransformationandhelpedembeditslogicintotheenterprise.Its

gradualphaseoutisnotasignoffailure.ThelogicofadedicatedCDOweakensasdigitalbecomesasharedlanguageacrosstheorganization—

spokennotbyone,butbymany.

Digitaliseverywhere,soit

nolongerneedsagatekeeper

Digitalhasevolvedfromanichefunctionintoacorecompetencyofeverybusinessunit(BU).

Marketing,supplychain,HR,andfinanceall

operatewithdigitaltools,data-drivenworkflows,andtechnology-infuseddecision-making.Inmanycases,thesecapabilitiesoutpacethoseofcentraldigitalteams.Powerandinfluencehaveshifted.Ratherthanbeingdrivenfromthecenter,digitalinitiativesincreasinglyemergefromtheperiphery—closertothecustomer,closertotheproduct.

Inthisdynamic,centraldigitalunitstendto

losetheiroperationalrelevance.Worse,they

becomebottlenecks:perceivedasslow,overlyconceptual,ordisconnectedfromday-to-daybusinessrealities.Asaresult,theyarebypassedbyempoweredBUsthatbuildanddeploy

theirowndigitalsolutionsfasterandwith

cleareraccountability.Withoutaredefinitionoftheirmandate,manyCDO-ledteamsdriftintoirrelevance,nolongeralignedwithhowdigitalgetsdone.

Atthesametime,otherexecutiveroleshaveabsorbeddigitaldimensions:

-CMOsdeployAI-poweredpersonalizationanddata-drivencampaignorchestration.

-CIOsandCTOsgoverncloudinfrastructure,enterpriseplatforms,anddatasecurity.

-Line-of-businessownersleadagileproductteamswithdirectcommercialaccountability.

Againstthisbackdrop,aCDOcanappeartobearolewithoutexecutionalleverage,reducedtocoordinationandstakeholderalignmentandlackingownershipordecisionrights.

WhytheCDOmodelfailedtoscale

TheCDOrole’stransitionalnaturealsolimiteditsabilitytoscalesuccessfully.Inmanycases,CDOsweregivenbroadambitionswithoutstructural

embedding.Fourcommonlimitationsemerged:

1.Vaguemandates,weakpositioning.Many

CDOswereestablishedoutsidecorebusinessorITfunctions.Limitedauthority,lackof

directbudget,andlackoflineaccountabilityseverelyrestrictedtheirimpact.

2.Conflictingroles.TheCDOfrequently

operatedincontestedspace:betweenCIO,CMO,COO,andstrategy.Withoutclear

boundaries,roleconflictsandturfwarsbecameinevitable.

3.Nomeasurableimpact.Feworganizations

definedtangibleKPIsforCDOsuccess.

Withouthardevidenceofvaluecreation,

theroleoftencameunderscrutiny,especiallyduringefficiencyandportfolioreviews.

4.Thewrongaltitude.CDOsoftenoperatedatastrategicorconceptuallevel,while

executionalleversremainedinthebusiness.

Thiscreatedapersistentdisconnectbetweenvisionanddelivery.

Theselimitationshadcareerconsequences.In

manyorganizations,thepositionremaineda

digitaloutpostthatwashighinambition,low

inintegration.Asaresult,fewCDOssuccessfullytransitionedintobroaderexecutiveroles.Internalprogressionwasrare,andunlikeCIOsorCTOs,

CDOsseldomascendedtopermanentC-level

positions.Thisisnotareflectionofindividual

failurebutofstructuraldisconnect.Theperson

assignedtochallengethesystemwasrarelytheonechosentoleadit.Thisexperienceholdsa

cruciallessonforfuturedigitalleadershipmodels:

withoutintegration,thereisnoscale.Andwithoutscale,thereisnocontinuity.

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THEDEATHOFTHECDO4

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THEDEATHOFTHECDO5

HowleadingfirmsretiredtheCDO

-Walmart(2021).Asearlyas2021,Walmartbegandismantlingits

standalonedigitalleadershipby

mergingitse-commercedivision

intocoreoperations.Ratherthan

appointinganewdigitalchiefafter

itsUSe-commerceCEOdeparted,thecompanydeclaredthat“digitaliseveryone’sjob”andembeddeditacrossbusinesslines.

-UBS(2023).FollowingitsacquisitionofCreditSuisse,UBSconsolidated

itsdigitalleadershipbymergingtheCDOfunctionintoabroaderCOO/

CIOrole.FormerCDIO(chiefdigitalandinformationofficer)MikeDarganbecamegroupchiefoperations

andtechnologyofficer,effectivelyeliminatingaseparatedigitaloffice.

-Boeing(2024).In2024,Boeing

appointedanewchiefinformationanddigitalofficer,combiningIT,analytics,anddigitalstrategyintoasingle

mandate.ThemovemarkedadeliberatestepawayfromaseparateCDOrole,

signalingashifttowardintegratedtech-businessleadership.

WHATCOMESNEXT

HowtheCAIOreshapesdigitalleadership

WithAIreshapingbusinessmodels,decision

processes,andcustomerinteractions,

organizationsfacetheneedtoredefine

leadershiponcemore.Theemergenceof

theCAIOmarksthisnextwave.Designedto

spearheadenterprise-wideAIstrategy,theCAIOoccupiesthesametransformationalspacethe

CDOonceheld,butwithsharperfocus,higherurgency,andgreaterproximitytomeasurablebusinessvalue.

Theparallelsarestriking:

-LiketheCDO,theCAIOisacatalystandcapacity-builder.

-LiketheCDO,theCAIOisexpectedtodrivechangeacrossfunctions.

-LiketheCDO,theCAIOislikelya

transitionalrole—bornofdisruption,

designedtoaccelerateimpact,andultimatelymeanttoevolveordissolveonceembedded.

Therearealsokeydifferences:

-TheCAIOenterswithstrongeralignmenttovaluecreation,deepertechnicalgrounding,andaclearermandateforexecution.

-TheorganizationalcontextforAItodayismoremature,moredata-driven,andmoreproduct-focusedthanwhenearlyCDOstookthestage.

Unlikeearlierwavesofdigitaltransformation

(whichwereoftentechnology-enabledbut

process-bound),AIsystemscanoperate

autonomously,adaptcontinuously,andscalewithminimalmarginalcost.Thismakestheirpotentialimpactbothdeeperandmorevariable.Insectorslikemedia,software,orprofessionalservices,AIisalreadytransformingcoreproductsanddecisionlogicataspeedandscalethatfarexceeds

earlierdigitalshifts.Incontrast,industries

likechemicalsorfoodarethusfarexperiencingAIasanenabler,similarinnaturetoearlier

digitalizationefforts.

However,urgencyaloneisnotenough.TheCAIOisneitheraguaranteedsuccessnoraready-

madeblueprint.Withoutstructuralclarityandenterpriseintegration,theCAIOrisksbecomingthenextisolatedchangeagent.Organizationsmustnotrepeatthesamemistakesthat

oncelimitedtheCDO:unclearaccountability,fragmentedgovernance,andweakoperationalanchoring.

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THEDEATHOFTHECDO6

Toavoidthis,AIleadershipmustbepositioneddeliberatelyattheintersectionofbusiness,

technology,anddataexecution—typicallyclosetoproduct,tech,orlineP&Lownership.

TheCAIOismosteffectivewhenembeddedintheoperatingfabric,notfloatingaboveit.

Manyorganizationsfallintoafamiliartrap:

treatingAIasanaturalextensionofthedigitalagendaandassigningittoCDOteamsby

default.Thisisamistake.AIdemandsmorethantransformationfluency;itrequirestechnical

depth,architecturalinfluence,andbusiness-impactownership.MostlegacyCDOstructureswerenotbuiltforthis.

Unlessgovernancemodelsevolve,AIwillbe

absorbedintoyesterday’sframeworks,leadingtopromisesoftransformationthatdonot

materialize.Theorganizationallogicbehind

AImustberethought.Figure2contraststhe

structuralneedsofeffectiveAIimplementationwiththetypicalcharacteristicsoflegacyCDOorganizations.

AsFigure2illustrates,theorganizational

conditionsrequiredforAItosucceeddiffer

fundamentallyfromthosethatdefinedthe

CDOera.Thisisnotaboutreplacement;itis

aboutconsciousevolution.CAIOandCDOare

notupgradesofoneanother.Rather,theyreflectdifferentwavesoftechnologicalchangeand

requiredifferentoperatingconditions.Andlike

theCDO,theCAIOmayprovetobearoledefinedbyitstime—necessaryandcatalytic,butnot

permanent.

BEYONDTHECDO

TheendoftheCDOisnottheendofdigital

leadership.Quitetheopposite:itisacall

toreimaginehoworganizationsstructure

accountability,capability,andstrategicforesightinaworldwheredigitalisembeddedandAIis

accelerating.Tomoveforward,leadersmust

makeconsciousdecisionsaboutwhichstructurestoretire,whichrolestoevolve,andwhichnew

modelstoembrace.Thefollowingprioritiescanhelpguidethattransition.

RetiretheCDOmodelwithintent

LettinggooftheCDOisasignofmaturity.

Oncedigitalhasbecomeembeddedacross

theenterprise,astandalonetransformationrolelosesitsleverage.Butphasingitoutshouldnotmeanleavingavacuum.Seniorleadersmust

definewhatcomesnext.WilldigitalcapabilitiesbeintegratedintobusinessandITlines?Will

transformationunitspivottowardAI,data,orplatformdelivery?AndwhathappenstothepersonwhoheldtheCDOtitle?

ForindividualCDOs,theanswerliesinreinvention

ratherthanresistance.SomewilltransitionintolineroleswithdirectP&Lownership.Otherswilltakeonintegratedmandatesacrossdigital,IT,orproduct.CommonpatternsincludeCDIO(digitalandIT),CDMO(digitalandmarketing),andCDTO(digitalandtransformation),eachreflectinga

movetowardstructuralembeddingandoutcomeownership.

Figure2.WhyAIdoesn’tbelonginlegacyCDOstructures

AIREQUIREMENTCDOLIMITATION

Strategicaccountability

Mandatesoftenvague,noline/P&Lresponsibility

Deeptechintegration

CDOorgsoftenlackAIengineering&infraexpertise

Business-sideurgency&integration

Positionedfarfromday-to-dayoperationsorcommercialdecision-making

Product&valuechainintegration

Historicallytransformation-focused,notproduct-centric

Culturalreframing,notcontinuity

Seenasanextensionof“olddigital”agenda,notnewstrategicchapter

Source:ArthurD.Little

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THEDEATHOFTHECDO7

ONCEDIGITAL

HASBECOME

EMBEDDEDACROSSTHEENTERPRISE,

ASTANDALONE

TRANSFORMATIONROLELOSES

ITSLEVERAGE

Inbothcases,relevancecomesnotfromthe

title,butfromproximitytoexecutionandimpact.Waitingtoberedefinedisnotastrategy.Taking

theleadinreshapingone’smandateis.

Modernizethedigitaltargetoperatingmodel

WhentheCDOroledisappears,whathappenstothework?Inmanycompanies,CDO-ledteams

havebeenresponsiblefortechnologyscouting,cross-cuttingdigitalenablers,andplatformlogic(coveringcapabilitieslikepayment,customer

identity,orsearchengineoptimization).As

organizationsrethinktheirdigitaloperating

models,theymustdecidenotjustwholeads,

buthowthesefoundationaltasksareembedded,owned,anddeliveredgoingforward.

Amoderndigitaltargetoperatingmodel

movesawayfromcoordination-heavycentralunitsandtowardintegrated,business-led

structures.Cross-functionalproductteams,

domain-anchoreddataroles,andembeddedAIexpertisearefastbecomingthenewnormal.

Forexample,oneglobalretailerreplacedits

centraldigitalfunctionwithcross-functional

squadsembeddedincommercialunits,all

supportedbyacentralplatformteamforsharedcapabilitieslikeidentity,personalization,and

checkout.Thisshiftincreaseddeliveryspeedwhilemaintainingarchitecturalcoherence.

OtherorganizationsreturnthismandatetotheCIOorCTO,butwithanexpandedscopethatgoesbeyondinfrastructureandoperations.

Tosucceedinthisrole,technologyleaders

mustcombinearchitecturalownershipwith

strategicsensing,ecosystemorchestration,andcommercialrelevance.WeseemanyofourclientsexpandingtheremitofCIOsandCTOs,backed

bytargetedchangeefforts,innovationhubs,andtechscoutingnetworkstoexplorewhat’snext.

Whateverthesetup,oneprincipleholds:digital

capabilitiesmustbeoperationallyembeddedandstrategicallyaware.Withoutboth,futurereadinessisamatterofchance.Itislessaboutwhoownsthemandateandmoreabouthowitispositioned,empowered,andmeasured.

AnchorAIinaccountableleadership

AIisnotjustanotherdigitalinitiative—itis

acapabilitythatcutsacrossdata,products,

anddecision-making.Tounlockitspotential,

organizationsmustgobeyondexperimentationandassignclearownershipforAIstrategy,

execution,andimpact.

Thisleadershipresponsibilitymustbeanchoredinroleswithstructuralleverage.Inmanycases,thatmeansestablishingadedicatedCAIOtounifyAIstrategy,enablearchitecturalcoherence,and

translatetechnologicalpotentialintomeasurablebusinessimpact.Inothercases,itmayfalltoa

CTO,CDIO,ordomainP&Lowner,providedtheyholdboththemandateandproximitytodelivery.

Positioningalsomatters.Insectorslikemedia,software,orprofessionalservices(whereAIis

alreadytransformingcoreproducts),leadershipoftensitsattheexecutivecommitteelevel,

reportingdirectlytotheCEO,COO,orCPO(chiefproductofficer).Inindustrialandprocess-heavyorganizations,suchaschemicalsorfood,AI

ownershiptendstofallundertheCTOorCDIO,

typicallyatthen-1orn-2level.Andinhighlydecentralizedenterprises,domain-specificAIleadsmayemergewithinindividualBUs.

Titlematterslessthantraction,butmarginalpositioningrarelydeliverseither.

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THEDEATHOFTHECDO8

Wherevertherolesits,itseffectivenessdependsonmorethanstructure.ThemosteffectivemodelsembedAIleadershipclosetoproductandtech

teams—notasacoordinatingfunctionbutasa

deliveryengine.Thatmeansmobilizingresources,shapingdatafoundations,anddrivingexecution(e.g.,onthetop10AIusecasesofferingthehighestoperationalimpactonabusinessorBU).

AssigningAItolegacydigitalstructuresby

default(especiallythoseshapedaroundpast

transformationagendas)mayseverelylimititspotential.AIdemandsadistinctorganizationallogic,andwithoutclearaccountability,eventhemostpromisinginitiativesrisklosingtraction.

Simplifygovernance,amplifyimpact

Asdigital,data,andAIcontinuetoconverge,

organizationsfaceagrowingriskofgovernance

overload:overlappingmandates,uncleardecisionrights,andfragmentedaccountabilitydilute

impactandslowdelivery.

Thesolutionisnotmorecontrolbutasharper

structure.SeniorleadersmustactivelystreamlineresponsibilitiesacrossadjacentrolesinIT,data,product,andmarketing(whereconfusionismostcommon).Whoownsarchitecture?Whodrives

businesslogic?WhointegratesAIintocoreprocesses?

ASDIGITAL,DATA,ANDAICONTINUETOCONVERGE,

ORGANIZATIONSFACEAGROWING

RISKOFGOVERNANCEOVERLOAD

Inmanycases,thismeansconsolidating

mandates:foldingtransformationintoIT,mergingdigitalandproductleadership,orrepositioning

datagovernanceclosertooperations.Clearinterfacesbeatcompetinginitiatives.

Simplificationisnotaboutcuttingheadcount;it’saboutincreasingexecutionalclarity.Whendigitalgovernanceiscrisp,cross-functionalteamscan

deliverfaster,withfewerpoliticalbarriersandstrongerbusinessalignment.

RetiringtheCDOisnotjustastructuralmove;it’satrigger—onethatpromptsdigital

leadershipevolutionacrosstheenterprise.

Thatiswheretransformationtrulytakesroot.

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THEDEATHOFTHECDO9

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