Chief Digital Officer Presence and Corporate Environmental Performance: Assessing Organizational Task Environments Under Which Their Presence Affects GHG Emissions

Viets, Alexander; von Delft, Stephan

Abstract

This study examines the impact of a Chief Digital Officer (CDO) on corporate environmental performance, addressing a gap in understanding which corporate actors influence environmental outcomes. Drawing on the upper echelons theory and the attention-based view, we examine whether and in which organizational task environments the presence of a CDO affects a firm's environmental performance. Analyzing a dataset of 374 publicly traded U.S. firms from 2005 to 2021, we find that the presence of a CDO positively impacts environmental performance. This link is stronger in task environments with lower complexity, higher dynamism, and lower munificence. Our study expands top management team (TMT) research by investigating the antecedents of a firm's environmental performance and we contribute to the strategy and sustainability literatures by highlighting the moderating role of the organizational task environment. Overall, our study adds to the ongoing conversation on non-financial outcomes and underscores the importance of appointing a CDO to improve the environmental performance.