A Systematic Review of the Literature on Digital Transformation: Insights and Implications for Strategy and Organizational Change

Abstract

In this article we provide a systematic review of the extensive yet diverse and fragmented literature on digital transformation (DT), with the goal of clarifying boundary conditions to investigate the phenomenon from the perspective of organizational change. On the basis of 279 articles, we provide a multi‐dimensional framework synthesizing what is known about DT and discern two important thematical patterns: DT is moving firms to malleable organizational designs that enable continuous adaptation, and this move is embedded in and driven by digital business ecosystems. From these two patterns, we derive four perspectives on the phenomenon of DT: technology impact, compartmentalized adaptation, systemic shift and holistic co‐evolution. Linking our findings and interpretations to existing work, we find that the nature of DT is only partially covered by conventional frameworks on organizational change. On the basis of this analysis, we derive a research agenda and provide managerial implications for strategy and organizational change.

Co-evolution of platform architecture, platform services, and platform governance: Expanding the platform value of industrial digital platforms

“…Consequently, the effectiveness of such platform architecture depends on the management of different modules that are introduced over many years, for different purposes, and by diverse actors (Henfridsson and Bygstad, 2013). More specifically, for manufacturers, a large part of the technological setup and digital knowledge may lie outside their organizational boundaries, which contributes to greater dependency on the surrounding digital ecosystem (Björkdahl, 2020;Hanelt et al, 2020). For instance, external modules may come from traditional suppliers and distributers to start-ups and tech-giants (Hanelt et al, 2020;Visnjic et al, 2018).…”

“…Digital transformation profoundly changed the way firms innovate and secure competitiveness (Hanelt et al, 2020;Nambisan et al, 2019;Yoo et al, 2012). For instance, digital technologies such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) have allowed firms to make products and services smarter (Kiel et al, 2017;Porter and Heppelmann, 2014;Raff et al, 2020), blur the lines between physical products and digital services (Hanelt et al, 2020;Jocevski, 2020) and unlock vast innovation opportunities (Lanzolla et al, 2020). Yet, to reach the full potential of digital transformation, firms need to adopt digital platforms (Parker et al, 2016;Sandebrg et al, 2020).…”

Digital Transformation and Innovation Management: A Synthesis of Existing Research and an Agenda for Future Studies

“…Because the intersection between digital transformation and innovation management is multi‐faceted and multi‐dimensional (Broekhuizen et al, 2021; Hanelt et al, 2020; Hess et al, 2016; Vial, 2019; Zangiacomi et al, 2020), in the next section we introduce a simple framework that identifies three levels of analysis (i.e., macro, meso, and micro) along which the discussion on the contributions to the special issue is organized and structured.…”

“…Providing a comprehensive definition of digital transformation is complex because it is a multifaceted (Broekhuizen et al, 2021; Hanelt et al, 2020; Vial, 2019) and multidimensional phenomenon (Hess et al, 2016; Zangiacomi et al, 2020), affecting organizations at different levels and in different forms. Recent research portrays digital transformation as an emerging field of scholarly interest for management and organizational researchers, as well as a new research paradigm (Hanelt et al, 2020). Different views co‐exist in which a broad range of concepts, dimensions, and dynamics concur to generate a highly fragmented research landscape (Berger et al, 2019; Cennamo et al, 2020; Nambisan et al, 2019; Rindfleisch et al, 2017).…”

Ledelse af digital transformation: Erfaringer fra et kommunalt digitaliseringsinitiativ

“…Digital transformation knytter sig til organisatorisk forandring (Hanelt et al, 2020) Inden for den funktionalistiske tradition findes en raekke populaere ofte normative udlaegninger af, hvordan forandringsprocesser bør ledes (fx Kotter, 1995). Her er fokus på, hvordan topledelsen kan kommunikere et relativt entydigt billede af forandringen og styre via vekslen mellem dirigerende og involverende tilgange (Beer & Nohria, 2000) med et fokus på at skabe de rette strukturer, planer og incitamenter (Beer & Nohria, 2000;Kotter, 1995;Kanter et al, 1992) og motivere forandring gennem en "braendende platform" hos medarbejderne (Kotter, 1995).…”