Paper Number
ICIS2026-1079
Paper Type
Completed
Abstract
Hidden champions (HCs) are highly specialized niche leaders whose competitive advantage is rooted in enduring identity anchors such as product excellence, craftsmanship, technological leadership, and customer intimacy. This makes HCs a theoretically salient context for studying digital transformation, as they must integrate digital technologies without undermining the identity foundations of their success. Drawing on a multiple mini-case study of 14 HCs, this study examines how digital and IT-enabled organizational transformation affect organizational identity. Building on and refining the distinction between digital transformation and IT-enabled organizational transformation, we show that transformation in HCs often unfolds as anchored digital transformation: digital initiatives may be strategically significant and organizationally far-reaching, yet remain tied to established product, service, or know-how logics. We contribute by introducing an identity-outcome typology comprising identity reinforcement, extension, and redefinition, explaining how HCs preserve identity continuity while integrating digital technologies.
Recommended Citation
Rölke, Dix Maik, "Balancing Identity and Transformation: The Digital and IT-Enabled Organizational Transformation of Hidden Champions" (2026). ICIS 2026 Proceedings. 1.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2026/orgstrategy/orgstrategy/1
Balancing Identity and Transformation: The Digital and IT-Enabled Organizational Transformation of Hidden Champions
Hidden champions (HCs) are highly specialized niche leaders whose competitive advantage is rooted in enduring identity anchors such as product excellence, craftsmanship, technological leadership, and customer intimacy. This makes HCs a theoretically salient context for studying digital transformation, as they must integrate digital technologies without undermining the identity foundations of their success. Drawing on a multiple mini-case study of 14 HCs, this study examines how digital and IT-enabled organizational transformation affect organizational identity. Building on and refining the distinction between digital transformation and IT-enabled organizational transformation, we show that transformation in HCs often unfolds as anchored digital transformation: digital initiatives may be strategically significant and organizationally far-reaching, yet remain tied to established product, service, or know-how logics. We contribute by introducing an identity-outcome typology comprising identity reinforcement, extension, and redefinition, explaining how HCs preserve identity continuity while integrating digital technologies.
Comments
16_Organizational_strategy