Abstract

There is growing interest in digital transformation by both researchers and practitioners (Carrol et al., 2023). Digital transformation initiatives vary significantly by size, purpose, and level of complexity. However, the same term, digital transformation, is equally used to refer to small initiatives within one organization as well as massive initiatives spanning multiple organizations. Very little effort has been directed at conceptualizing different types of digital transformation. This has resulted in a lack of conceptual clarity on the concept of digital transformation and how it manifests. There is an urgent need for a more nuanced conceptualization of digital transformation to further our understanding of the concept. To address this problem, this study adopts the design science research methodology (Peffers et al., 2007) to develop a framework which identifies and delineates between different types of digital transformation. The developed framework integrates two dimensions, depth of digital transformation (spanning from incremental to radical) and breadth of digital transformation (spanning from intra-firm to cross-firm) to identify four unique types of digital transformation, namely: (i) incremental intra-firm digital transformation, (ii) incremental cross-firm digital transformation, (iii) radical intra-firm digital transformation, and (iv) radical cross-firm digital transformation. The study also discusses the objective of each type of digital transformation, as well as the level of complexity, level of disruption, level of risk, level of inertia to change, and impact potential of each type. The developed framework is demonstrated and evaluated through a case study of identified digital transformation initiatives. The study contributes to research and practice by enabling a deeper and more nuanced understanding of digital transformation by identifying and distinguishing between different types of digital transformation. References Carroll, N., Hassan, N. R., Junglas, I., Hess, T., & Morgan, L. 2023. “Transform or be transformed: the importance of research on managing and sustaining digital transformations,”, European Journal of Information Systems, (32:3), pp. 347-353. Peffers, K., Tuunanen, T., Rothenberger, M. A., & Chatterjee, S. 2007. “A design science research methodology for information systems research,”, Journal of Management Information Systems, (24:3), pp. 45-77.

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