D-Cycle as a core element of a digital transformation framework

The way businesses view consumers has been transformed by technology. The terms digital transformation and digitization are becoming increasingly prevalent in the business world. They discovered that those who did not undergo digital transformation would not survive digital disruption. The value of technology is derived from the results of business transformation that is possible through the application of technology, not from the implementation of technology itself. Therefore, for optimal digital transformation results, a framework is required as a guide. The purpose of this study is to determine the requirements for a digital business transformation framework. From the search results, 224 research papers on digital business transformation were located, and 31 papers containing digital transformation frameworks were screened. These 31 papers were analyzed, resulting in a digital business transformation framework with at least eight domains. The eight domains include the digital business transformation principles, areas of change, drivers, success factors/enablers, impact, challenges, readiness/maturity, and a step-by-step process.

With the advent of digital technologies, society is reshaping itself radically. In the last decade, digital technologies have brought fundamental changes in the industry and business environment. The holistic socioeconomic and industrial changes are a result of general-purpose technology aspects of digital transformation, which are rare and have inherent capabilities of self-transformation to bring long-term benefits across the entire global business environment. After the steam engine, electric generator and printing press, the recent development of digital transformation has created an opportunity with extensive sustainable and incremental influence for disruption and renovation. However, the most important difference between digital transformation and the previous general-purpose technologies such as steam engines and electric generators is the pace of technology’s penetration across the globe. To cope with the accelerated speed of global digitization, the digital transformation process should be accepted, adopted and adapted across society and business utilizing a multi-dimensional strategy. This book illustrates a strategic structure that covers Digital Challenges for Industries, Applicability for Digital Transformation, Digital Transformation Framework, People and Organization Structure, Capability Delivery Activities and Life Cycle Benefits. How will businesses embrace digital transformation? How will organizations formulate a digital transformation strategy? How will they invest in digital technologies? To answer these questions, a strategic structure is created which can provide guidelines to businesses to create a framework for digital transformation that includes strategy, process, governance and funding. The exponential growth in data capacity (storage, process and communication) due to rapid digitalization has created infinite opportunities and different dimensions to businesses. Digital platforms have enabled alternative business models by deconstructing the traditional value chains. Agile concepts driven by design thinking have brought innovative perspectives with an environment of boundless disruption. To run a company with sustainability and manage disruptions more consciously, the adoption of a digital platform with an appropriate strategy is the only viable option. Digital transformation (DX) goals and strategies should be in line with a company’s business objectives. The strategic structure explained in the book is a global framework that can be adopted by any profit or nonprofit organization. Like any other transformational process, digital transformation has created structural tension between "old" and "new". In this tension, employees play a large role and their clarity of thought regarding the transformation process is of paramount interest. To overcome this tension, companies need to orient as learning organizations, which will provide opportunities for growth in an ambidextrous environment, embraced with a digital ecosystem. The book explains how the structural tension between old and new can be mitigated by effectively involving all stakeholders in the transformation process.

In today’s world, where we are in the process of information society, especially the development of internet technology and the use of the internet by large masses of people in very wide geographies have brought along a digital transformation not only socially but also administratively. Although the administrative reflections of digital transformation have developed on the basis of the private sector primarily, it is seen that this situation has started to manifest itself in public administration and public administrations have gone into the efforts for adapting to this wave of transformation over time. The implementation of digital transformation in public administration as a whole is essentially carried out with the aim of eliminating some prominent serious problems of public administration and in addition developing the aspects further that are in good condition. As a matter of fact, new business setups are made and strategies are developed with the intention of adapting to digital transformation, so that it becomes possible for institutions to provide services in a more transparent, participatory, accountable, quality, effective and efficient manner and thus to satisfy the target audience they serve. It is seen that different structures have been made in order to adapt to the digital transformation, with the transition to the Presidential government system in Turkey. One of these new structures is Presidency Offices. Among these offices, which provide technical support to public policy making and decision-making activities in different fields, the Presidency Digital Transformation Office has undertaken the task of leading the digital transformation of the public administration. Since its establishment, the Presidency Digital Transformation Office continues to implement many activities and applications and to contribute positively to the digital transformation process in order to fulfil the mission it has undertaken. In this study, which aims to evaluate the digital transformation process through public administration and more specifically the Presidency Digital Transformation Office, digital transformation is discussed conceptually and theoretically, first. In the second Section, the main features of the presidential government system and the innovations it has brought along are emphasized. In the third and last Section, the structure and functioning of the Presidency Digital Transformation Office is explained and its contributions to the digital transformation process are evaluated through the activities and applications that the office has done so far.

The swift advancement of technology has forced key industrial sectors to expedite their digital transformation processes. Despite the escalating organizational interest in investing in technological advancements, the Oil and Gas (O&G) industry lags in the digitalization race. This research aims to introduce a conceptual framework for businesses to succeed in digital transformation and maintain competitive operations through digitalization. The Digital Transformation Framework was applied in an O&G company based in Brazil, focused on the Subsea segment, and is built upon three key pillars. First, defining the digital's identity for the company, the materialization in a long-term strategy, and leadership sponsorship. Second, establishing partnerships with IT and Finance departments, and suppliers, the project management and execution engine layer is a channel to collect ideas, workflow for implementation, and follow-up meetings. The third pillar is related to people, which embraces a strong communication plan, the volunteer work of digital agents, the empowerment of employees as developers, and an upskilling program to increase competencies. The implementation of the framework has successfully increased the digital maturity of the organization and facilitated a sustainable cultural transformation. The framework enabled the generation of improvement ideas, led the automation of critical processes, and enhanced data management. Also, empowered employees to deliver developments independently, and these individuals have been designated as citizen developers. Moreover, the Digital Agents' role promoted a vital contribution to cultural formation. Their influence and support in major areas have elevated the digital culture, promoting the team's involvement and delivering projects autonomously. Likewise, a training program based on digital awareness following an upskilling plan and linked to business strategy allowed the implementation of new technologies in daily operations. Also, incentive mechanisms were established based on financial recognition, increasing employee visibility to those aligned with the corporate strategy and promoting cultural development. Finally, the partnership with technical developers and suppliers was strengthened, including academia for specialized and high-technological projects. The Digital Transformation Framework fosters innovation and provides a practical digitalization approach that tailors its applicability to an O&G industry, defining processes, responsibilities, and stakeholders’ collaboration. This case study presents valuable insights regarding feasible implications for companies that embarked on their digital transformation journey and those seeking to navigate the digital landscape.

This research investigates the digital transformation (DTM) process in Pakistan's public healthcare organizations while analyzing organizational factors that influence their digital maturity levels. This study frames DTM using three key elements: digital transformational leadership (DTL) as the guiding force, employee commitment to digital transformation (ECDT) reflecting workforce engagement and employee artificial intelligence (AI) readiness culminating in organizational digital maturity (ODM). The theoretical basis of this research is the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework. The research used a moderated mediation model to analyze the DTM process. This research applied structural equation modeling and bootstrapping to assess hypotheses based on data from 258 employees collected at three different time points. The results confirm that DTL positively impacts ECDT and that ECDT in turn positively enables ODM. The moderation analysis finds a suggestive trend indicating that ECDT translates to ODM more strongly when employees feel prepared to engage with and work alongside AI-based digital technologies. This study extends TOE theory by giving a more in-depth and salient focus on the employee-level psychological and capability-based elements of the "organization" dimension of TOE, which is under-theorized and underrepresented in digital health research. The study also empirically explores and tests digital leadership and transformation in a developing country context with practical implications for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 and SDG 9.

In response to emerging financial technology (fintech) that might disrupt the banking industry, several financial institutions are undergoing digital transformation. Banks are increasingly integrating digital strategy into their business planning rather than adding it on. This research aims to identify the determinants that influence digital bank transformation. The research was conducted through a systematic literature review of 364 published papers using PRISMA and bibliometric approaches. This method is commonly used in various fields, including medicine, psychology, social sciences, and more, to provide a comprehensive and impartial summary of the current state of knowledge on a particular subject. The approach used in this systematic literature review method is the PRISMA approach. The results of the literature review show that there is an increasing trend of research related to digital banks from 2015 to 2023, which is in line with the trend of digitalization in the banking industry in both developed and developing countries. The analysis is deepened to see the important factors influencing digital bank transformation. The determinants in the digital bank transformation process include the level of digitalization, application user growth, IT investment, IT committee, cyber security, and ecosystem stocks. The results of this literature review will be a reference for further research related to digital banks, in line with the rapid digital transformation process in banking.

The paper aims to analyze the digital transformation process’s defining elements in the COVID-19 crisis. Starting from our main objective, which consists of a critical analysis of the defining elements of the digital transformation process in the conditions of the COVID-19 crisis, we formulate the following specific objectives: to analyze the contribution of external organizational factors to put into practice the new opportunities created by the organization’s digital transformation; to evaluate the impact of digital competencies on the digital transformation of organizations; and to analyze the role of new technologies in developing digital competencies. We used the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and the bootstrapped method to evaluate the model fit, and the model was tested by SmartPLS4 software. Our research is based on information from 203 employees with authority for decision making about the digital transformation strategy in their organizations undergoing a digital transformation process. Our findings revealed that organizations, regardless of size, profile, or field of activity, are affected by changes induced by new technologies and the crisis generated by COVID-19. Therefore, formulating a digital transformation strategy must aim to minimize the risks of obsolescence and maximize the results from exploiting new digital resources. However, our results do not prove that COVID-19 crises directly and positively influence the development of digital competencies. This leads us to conclude that developing these competencies is a continuous process unaffected by disruptive factors such as crises. Instead, the development of digital competencies is influenced by new technologies. Therefore, the COVID-19 crisis directly and positively influences organizations’ developing and implementing a digital transformation strategy and new technologies. The theoretical contribution of our research consists of an explanation of the role of perturbator factors, such as the crisis generated by COVID-19, in developing digital competencies and improving digital transformation. The practical contributions are dedicated to managers that should have a different approach to the negative phenomena that will be considered catalytic factors of the digital transformation and disruptive factors of the organizational climate.

The paper deals with the digital technologies implementation in the companies’ activity, including transport enterprises. The authors pay attention to the fact that the processes of digitalization and digital transformation are necessary, and they contribute to achieving competitive advantages, reducing operating costs, improving business processes, developing customer services, and meeting customer needs at a higher level. The digital technologies implementation contributes to developing innovative business models and improving the company’s efficiency. The digital transformation of the transport industry leads to improving the service quality (safety, reliability, timing, and availability) and has a positive impact on the economic efficiency as a whole. The authors developed a modified method for measuring the service quality of passenger transport and defined an integral indicator of the quality based on economic and mathematical modeling methods. The approach makes it possible to ensure consistency and complexity of the digitalization and digital transformation processes. The authors distinguished the positive effects of the digital transformation both for manufacturing enterprises and consumers.KeywordsConsumersDigital transformationModelingQualityServiceTransport

Many scientific papers, articles, and books related to digitization, digitalization, and digital transformation have been published, and many issues are defined, researched, and discussed for two decades already worldwide, yet with timid application in real life. However, the digital transformation process in many countries has been significantly accelerated by the Covid-19 difficult situations due to social distance restrictions, and especially the lockdowns imposed by governments. The paper summarizes the roadmap to digital transformation in 193 countries according to EGDI (United Nations E-Government Development Index), the EU’s main areas for multi-projects, and Romania’s e-Government and e-Business current situation. There are also presented a number of examples of successful e-Government and e-Business projects in Romania.

Technological advances have reached the power to change the structural features of organizations. For this reason, traditional methods of doing business are now shelved. It has been replaced by digital technologies. Today, we have come to a process where digital technologies are transformed. This process is tantamount to degradation and redesign. For this reason, businesses always have to keep up-to-date with the strategies about how they progress and the models that are the working logic of these strategies. The reason for existence does not change, but the ability to exist does. The aim is to lead a unique life course by the characteristics of the current era for the future. The aim of working with this point of view is to reveal the competencies that businesses should have to develop a strategic and original model suitable for the system structure in a period characterized by deterioration. What features are required to be successful in digital transformation and to continue living? This question is a research question. In the digital transformation process, I have explained this primarily through the mentality to be possessed. I characterized this structurally as the “entrepreneurial spirit” of the company. Afterward, I explained it in terms of having the technological software and hardware that should be owned financially. I tried to convey the next stage by taking action. I explained this with culture transfer through the mentality of the team and teammates who will do the job. In businesses, culture finds an area to spread through leaders. Therefore, in the next step, I touched on the leadership qualities that should be possessed in the digital transformation process and explained the relationship between the digital transformation process and digital business strategy in the final analysis. The general concept of the study was handled within the framework of transferring the basic business characteristics that must be possessed in the way of digital maturity that will enable us to adapt to the era to have a sustainable working logic suitable for digital transformation, and suggestions were made at the end with the discussion part.

Intelligent organizational systems or intelligent organizations are being created through processes of digital transformation (DT) that typically involves intelligent technologies such as robotic process automation (RPA), the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), blockchain, drones, virtual reality (VR), 3D printing, big data and big data analytics (BDA). However, there is the significant problem of high DT failure rates with severe financial losses. Thus, understanding the key constructs for DT success in terms of organizational performance is an essential knowledge requirement and was the research problem and knowledge gap addressed by the study. The study followed an integrative literature review method since the purpose was analysis and synthesis for research model development. The study exposed the key constructs for successful DT in terms of organizational performance, namely organizational performance, sustainability, information technology (IT)/digital capability, change management, dynamic capabilities and risk management. This knowledge enables DT management to effectively manage DT toward success. For DT and related scientists, the study establishes the foundations for measuring DT and the associated organizational performance and facilitates DT theory progression and new knowledge generation.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to frame digital transformation (DT) within municipalities to improve the life cycles of urban infrastructure.Design/methodology/approach The study provides the results from a systematic review of the literature on concepts of DT and its implications for municipalities, barriers and challenges to DT, as well existing DT frameworks for municipalities and their built assets. This literature review leads to the development of a DT framework to help cities conduct a planned and federated DT beforehand. Then, workshops are conducted with two major Canadian municipalities.Findings The results of these studies point to the need for a dedicated DT framework for municipalities because of their particular context and their role and proximity to citizens. The theoretical framework develops 22 elements, which are divided among 6 categories. Through its application, the framework helps to identify and target the predominant issues hindering the DT of municipalities, specifically “legacy practices” and “data management.”Research limitations/implications Limitations include limited experimental conditions and small sample size. Further work is needed to validate the framework. Other approaches are advocated to complement the data collection and analysis to generate more convincing results.Practical implications The theoretical framework was validated through two case studies on two large Canadian municipalities.Social implications Municipalities maximize the value they provide to citizens and to be at the forefront of resilience and sustainability concerns. The use of technology, digital processes and initiatives helps cities to improve planning, optimize works and provide better services to citizens.Originality/value The framework is original in that it specifically aligns assets management with DT in a municipal context.

With the continuous development of artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing and other technologies, the digital economy has gradually become the main artery of the economy. This article explores Midea's digital transformation process through case studies. The study found that Midea Group closely connects the internal enterprise through digital systems, combines internal data with the Internet, and establishes a middle financial office, ultimately realizing the digital transformation of finance. The digital transformation of finance has brought significant improvements in Midea Group's operating and management costs, thus affecting the enterprises overall performance to a certain extent. At the same time, the transformation process of Midea Group still has shortcomings, which can be used for reference for enterprises planning to carry out digital transformation in the future. Digital financial transformation is not achieved overnight. It requires enterprises to combine their own conditions, give full play to the systematic and comprehensive nature of digital finance, achieve the effect of improving the efficiency of enterprise operations, and ultimately improve enterprise performance.

Digital Transformation Process and SMEs

Purpose Digital transformation has unfolded across various industries and levels of analysis. Most prior research has predominantly focused on the positive aspects of digital transformation. However, its challenges impacts remain underexplored, especially in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Digital transformation strategies implemented by large corporations cannot be directly applied to smaller firms through simple scaling down. In light of these differences, this study aims to investigate the challenges of digital transformation through the lens of dynamic capabilities and uses paradox theory as a meta-theoretical framework to explain how organizations manage the inherent tensions emerging from digital transformation processes. Design/methodology/approach Case studies using a qualitative approach have been recognized as suitable for exploratory research, particularly on topics that have not been extensively studied. Based on grounded theory, data collected through interviews, field observations and focus group discussions were analyzed in three stages: open coding, selective coding and axial coding. The use of diverse informants and multiple data collection techniques enabled us to conduct triangulation, thereby ensuring the validity of the findings. Findings Drawing on multiple qualitative case studies, the study identifies a range of challenges of digital transformation associated with each high-order dynamic capability. This study identifies a series of challenges arising from digital transformation during the processes of sensing, seizing and transforming. The study identified twelve specific challenges and further elaborated on how SMEs respond to these challenges. However, these responses also generate further consequences, revealing a cyclical process inherent in digital transformation. Research limitations/implications While this study focuses on high-order capabilities, future research is encouraged to delve deeper into the micro-foundations of dynamic capabilities. Practical implications Managers must be able to identify the optimal level of digital transformation implementation. Maximizing digital transformation is not necessarily better; in fact, it may lead to inefficiencies. Originality/value This study offers a unique contribution by examining the contradictions inherent in digital transformation through the theoretical lenses of paradox theory and dynamic capabilities. The findings of this research can serve as a foundation for future studies or be tested through surveys, allowing the cycle of knowledge development to continue.