Unpacking Crisis-Driven Digital Transformation: Through the lens of dynamic capabilities

Sammanfattning

Covid-19 has had profound effects on peoples’ health and livelihoods; resultingly, companies have felt the recoil too. Social distancing mandates and supply chain disruptions have forced organizations to adapt. Organizational adaptation has occurred in many forms; however, when organizations orchestrate digital business model change through the use of digital technologies, it can be argued that digital transformation has occurred. With our qualitative study utilising semi-structured interviews, we have taken a look at how Covid-19 has driven digital transformation among incumbent firms. Previous findings point toward results that argue that Covid-19 has sped up rates of digital transformation, and that digital transformation attempts during Covid-19 are prone to failure, but research has not yet taken the angle of exploring the reasons as to how the pandemic has impacted digital transformation. Our research has sharpened the blur regarding the mechanisms that are in play with Covid-19 and digital transformation by looking at the phenomenon through a lens of dynamic capabilities. This has shown the importance that upskilling internal resources, digital maturity, and a focus on people over technology has had in organizations that embarked on digital transformations during Covid-19.