Top management team characteristics and digital innovation: Exploring digital knowledge and TMT interfaces |
| |
Institution: | 1. Department of Accounting, University of Groningen, Nettelbosje 2, 9747 AE, Groningen, the Netherlands;2. Chair of Management and Control, University of Goettingen, Platz der Goettinger Sieben 3, 37073, Goettingen, Germany;3. Chair of Digital Transformation Management, University of Kassel, Kleine Rosenstraße 3, 34109, Kassel, Germany |
| |
Abstract: | On their journey toward digital transformation, industrial firms need to embrace digital innovation. The top management team (TMT) is expected to set the course for digital innovation, which is a challenging endeavour given the novel and cross-functional nature of digital innovation. We draw on role theory to make sense of emerging role requirements for the TMT and combine this view with upper echelon theory to hypothesize on the specific TMT characteristics that are needed for digital innovation. We first theorize that firms could benefit from TMT digital knowledge. Second, we argue that the effective utilization of TMT digital knowledge can be fostered at internal TMT interfaces, such as between the chief executive officer (CEO), respectively a chief digital officer (CDO), and other top managers. Finally, we consider the TMT hierarchical structure as a contextual factor in the stimulation of TMT integration processes by integrative CEOs and CDOs. We employ panel data regressions to a longitudinal dataset of US industrial firms and find a positive relation between TMT digital knowledge and digital innovation, on average. We additionally find evidence for the integrative roles of CEOs and CDOs. However, our findings also indicate that the CDO's integrating role can be hampered by a strong hierarchical structure in the TMT. |
| |
Keywords: | TMT digital knowledge Digital innovation TMT interfaces Chief digital officers TMT hierarchical structure |
本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录! |
|