The Role of Chief Digital Officer (CDO)
It is quite evident nowadays that the continuity of certain types of jobs are very much a question of when a particular role will become obsolete.
In a recent article published by McKinsey & Company, “Transformation in chief: The new chief digital officer,” the role of a Chief Digital Officer (CDO) and the significance this role plays in modern corporate strategic planning is emphasized.
I strongly agree with the article and the insights shared within it, especially the five areas recommended for CDOs to consider in order that corporations would be able to see a full impact and change to their digital strategies.
However, as a long survivor of the ever changing good old IT sector (with a special mentioning to the digital industry), I believe that the CDO role is destined to become obsolete. The fast paced nature of the digital industry is the very reason this role will become obsolete.
I myself have gone through the transition of changing careers and upgrading my skills. Starting as web designer/developer following the aftermath of the dot com bubble, I never thought I would need to change jobs because the demand was still high for web developers at the time and every company out there needed a website to establish its presence on the internet. Despite the demand for web developers now days, a web designing job is not being offered solely based on coding skills! Today’s web design/development skills are being added as a desired “skill” to have within other roles such as: graphic design, PR advising, marketing advising, and sometimes even roles that have nothing to do with IT, such as videography.
Like many jobs that become obsolete due to technology changes, CDOs will find themselves struggling to adapt to new technologies as they emerge. The digital industry bubble is bound to burst sooner or later. Corporations can try to digitize their strategies and processes as much as possible before the next big transformation in IT will occur–at which point, all the new cool roles that were created because of this bubble (i.e. CDOs, SEO specialist, APP designer/developer, social media managers, etc.) will disappear or merge into other roles. Therefore, professionals who embark on securing a career in such jobs should always consider the option of changing careers at some point in time or upgrading their skills in order to sustain a continuous career.
