Paper ID

3405

Paper Type

short

Description

Digital Transformation (DT) is an ongoing phenomenon across various industries that has significant impacts at the organizational, industry, and societal levels. DT is particularly crucial for traditional firms that are confronted with threats from innovative companies and increasingly dynamic markets. However, research on supply network-level DT and DT leadership remain absent to date, which are critical in the pursuit of far-reaching and sustainable impacts. Our research objective is to use a case study of Topsun, the largest outdoor equipment manufacturer in China, to address these gaps. We find that the process of enacting supply-network DT leadership consists of three phases: (1) articulating a strategic vision, (2) actualizing internally and advocating externally, (3) assembling for collective action. Our model is a conceptual innovation that sheds light on the underlying mechanism of obtaining and executing supply-network DT leadership, which can be used as a roadmap for traditional firms to undertake DT and leverage its collective impacts. Keywords: Digital transformation, supply network, leadership, case study, China

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Leadership in the Digital Transformation of a Supply Network: A Revelatory Case Study

Digital Transformation (DT) is an ongoing phenomenon across various industries that has significant impacts at the organizational, industry, and societal levels. DT is particularly crucial for traditional firms that are confronted with threats from innovative companies and increasingly dynamic markets. However, research on supply network-level DT and DT leadership remain absent to date, which are critical in the pursuit of far-reaching and sustainable impacts. Our research objective is to use a case study of Topsun, the largest outdoor equipment manufacturer in China, to address these gaps. We find that the process of enacting supply-network DT leadership consists of three phases: (1) articulating a strategic vision, (2) actualizing internally and advocating externally, (3) assembling for collective action. Our model is a conceptual innovation that sheds light on the underlying mechanism of obtaining and executing supply-network DT leadership, which can be used as a roadmap for traditional firms to undertake DT and leverage its collective impacts. Keywords: Digital transformation, supply network, leadership, case study, China