Title | Unpacking the difference between digital transformation and IT-enabled organizational transformation |
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Type | Journal article |
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Authors | Wessel, L., Baiyere, A., Ologeanu-Taddei, R., Cha, J. and Blegind-Jensen, T. |
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Abstract | Although digital transformation offers a number of opportunities for today’s organizations, information systems scholars and practitioners struggle to grasp what digital transformation really is, particularly in terms of how it differs from the well-established concept of information technology (IT)-enabled organizational transformation. By integrating literature from organization science and information systems research with two longitudinal case studies—one on digital transformation, the other on IT-enabled organizational transformation—we develop an empirically grounded conceptualization that sets these two phenomena apart. We find that there are two distinctive differences: (1) digital transformation activities leverage digital technology in (re)defining an organization’s value proposition, while IT-enabled organizational transformation activities leverage digital technology in supporting the value proposition, and (2) digital transformation involves the emergence of a new organizational identity, whereas IT-enabled organizational transformation involves the enhancement of an existing organizational identity. We synthesize these arguments in a process model to distinguish the different types of transformations and propose directions for future research. |
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Keywords | Digital transformation |
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| IT-enabled organizational transformation |
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| Organizational identity |
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| Value proposition |
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| Imposition |
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| Reconciliation |
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| Digital technology |
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| Process model |
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Journal | Journal of the Association for Information Systems |
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Journal citation | 22 (1), pp. 102-129 |
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ISSN | 1536-9323 |
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Year | 2021 |
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Publisher | Association for Information Systems |
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Accepted author manuscript | File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |
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Publisher's version | File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |
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Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.17705/1jais.00655 |
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Publication dates |
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Published | 08 Jan 2021 |
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