전통 조직에서의 디지털 전환 과정 연구: 디지털 전환 전문 직급 등장을 중심으로

This study explores the key decision-making factors that influence the creation of such units. From an organizational learning perspective, firms’ decisions to establish specialized digital transformation organizations vary depending on their relative technological position within the industry. Furthermore, this decision-making process can be moderated by the composition of the top management team. To test our hypotheses, we analyze Chinese financial firms between 2010 and 2021, focusing on the conditions under which specialized digital transformation organizations—particularly the appointment of Chief Digital Officers (CDOs)—were created. The results show that firms with relatively low technological levels compared to their industry peers are more likely to establish digital transformation units to minimize the risks of falling behind. Importantly, this effect is moderated by the backgrounds of the top management team. When more executives had science or engineering backgrounds or when the proportion of female executives was higher, the relationship between lower-than-industry technological capability and the establishment of a digital transformation unit was strengthened. When firms’ technological levels exceeded the industry average, firms still formed such units to consolidate digital capabilities, but this tendency weakened with more female executives. Overall, these findings offer theoretical and practical insights into traditional firms’ digital transformation.