Digital Transformation (DT) is gaining traction across all industries. Also, it impacts other sectors, such as non-profit and higher education. DT emerges when connectivity technologies merge with physical assets, potentially affecting value-generating processes and value propositions. These changes will improve effectiveness, business models, and customer relationships. However, firms confront several barriers when they embark on their DT journey. Thus, it is essential to understand how the barriers can be tackled by countermeasures. Understanding the qualities of these countermeasures is critical for businesses to overcome barriers. Thus, this current study searches for similarities and differences across socio-demographic categories representing company size (LE, MLE, SME), level of responsibility (executive, with and without personal responsibility), and age (under 30, 31-40, 41-50, above 50). Data from online surveys revealed 1171 participants’ statements. These were used to extract four dimensions and 39 countermeasures. The most prominent countermeasure dimensions are Human and Organisation. The most prominent countermeasures relate to the education of employees in the form of demand-oriented training and benefits and needs of DT. This research adds to identifying similarities across categories and paves the way for greater generalizability of countermeasures.

Digital Transformation (DT) strives to alter an entity by substantially changing its characteristics facilitated by integrating digital technologies. Albeit numerous barriers hinder the realization of its potential. Barriers are subject to scientific research. Generally, scientific works result in research streams. The existing literature already examines the DT streams. Although these works make an essential contribution, they cannot sufficiently explore the field of barriers. Keeping track of the concepts and themes in a growing research field is challenging. Therefore, the aims of this mapping study are (1) to show which domain-specific research streams are explicitly dealing with the DT barriers, (2) to highlight which topics research currently addresses, and (3) which topics should be investigated in the future. Combining elements of a bibliometric analysis with a systematic literature review, we mapped nine different streams based on 203 publications. The results indicate that much research focuses on industrial companies or sectors but needs an overarching perspective. Also, many studies are only concerned with identifying the barriers, while systematic approaches to overcoming them still need to be developed. 

Digital transformation (DT) is a trending topic in nearly all industries. Enterprises digitalize processes, offer digital services and products, and enhance the customer experience. However, complex barriers hinder the ability of entrepreneurial-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to advance in digital transformation. Using a questionnaire, we collected and analyzed data on the barriers to digital transformation in SMEs. The data revealed a heterogonous picture of SMEs regarding digital transformation and barriers. Based on 195 completed questionnaires, we demonstrated a significant negative influence of organizational and technical barriers and missing skills on digital transformation success. The identified predictors can explain 58% of the variance in the transformation process based on 195 respondents. We could not demonstrate a significant relationship to digital transformation success for the three additional barrier dimensions individual, lack of standards, and lack of laws. Nevertheless, respondents perceive the existence of a lack of standards and laws as well as individual barriers. Our results indicate that addressing organizational barriers is an excellent way to start a DT journey.

With the rise of modern digital connectivity technologies, Digital Transformation (DT) is now an issue for most companies across almost all industries. DT is an evolution to digitalizing internal processes, offering digital services and products, and improving the customer experience. Prior studies have explored different barriers that hinder successful DT. Our study follows a quantitative design to explore further how these barriers are perceived by staff at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) compared to larger enterprises (LEs). Our sample comprises participants from 189 SMEs and 221 LEs. In general, results indicate a somewhat similar perception of their DT processes. In detail, setting up new positions to manage DT poses a more intense barrier for SMEs.

Digitisation is among the macro-trends that significantly influence the business world in the twenty-first century. Firms striving to succeed in this environment must develop new strategic approaches. The accelerating development of information technology (IT) drives digitisation. Therefore, IT and business strategies must be integrated. In this context, the information systems literature promotes the concept of digital business strategies (DBSs), reflecting a fusion between IT and business strategies. However, knowledge of the types and characteristics of such DBSs is currently scarce. Therefore, we developed a conceptually and empirically grounded typology of DBS based on the well-known business strategy classification by Miles and Snow (1978). Using a dataset comprising 192 firms worldwide, we conducted a cluster analysis, identified basic types of DBS, and evaluated their effects on firm performance. Moreover, we identified four types of DBS: non-digital reactor, analyser, digital opportunist, and digital producer. The study contributes to a better understanding of new business strategy concepts in the digitisation context.

Digital transformation (DT) in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) affects the learning environment with digitally-enhanced teaching methods, student assistance, and administration processes. HEIs develop strategies to exploit the chances offered by DT. Our study investigates the connection between the strategic work of HEIs on DT and how students perceive the results of this work in their daily studies. We applied a case study design on a Swedish HEI to gather our results. Results show that students are somewhat positive about the strategic work but still perceive digitalization as a barrier to collaborating with peers and lecturers. Our research contributes to knowing if the time and effort spent on an HEI’s DT impact the student stakeholder group. By bringing forth ways of improvement, we generate new knowledge about DT processes in HEIs. Thus, we inspire educators and administrators in this industry by putting forward lessons learned and improvements.

Så kan klimatomställning, hållbarhet och innovativ teknik öka publika arenors intäkter:

Exponentiell teknikutveckling, krav på konkreta och verksamma klimatåtgärder och en hållbar mänsklig livsstil, förändrar förutsättningar för hur besöksberoende verksamheter drivs och utvecklas. Behovet av att anpassa och förnya en arenas upplevelser samt var och hur dessa kan konsumeras, sker i snabb takt.  I en sextio sidor lång Framtidsstudie tecknas förutsättningarna för den publika arenans utveckling och digitala affärsmöjligheter. Dels som skådebana för upplevelser på plats, dels som virtuell estrad där inget är omöjligt eller avstånd inte har någon betydelse. Studien är framtagen av företaget AAKERMOUNT i samverkan med Universitetslektor Sven Packmohr vid Malmö Universitet och innehåller omvärldsbeskrivning, genomförande processer, en fallstudie med tillhörande framtids-scenarier, samt slutsatser och åtgärdsförslag.

För information eller beställning av studie; kontakta Anders Åkerberg på AAKERMOUNT; anders@aakermount.com För ytterligare information kontakta Sven Packmohr på Malmö Universitet; sven.packmohr@mau.se

Digital Transformation (DT) is gaining attention in all industries. It also impacted non-profit sectors and higher education. DT evolves when connectivity technologies merge with physical assets, possibly altering value creation processes. These alterations aim to positively impact effectiveness, business models, and customer connection. However, companies face several barriers on their DT journey. It is essential to grasp the properties of these barriers to enable companies to find ways to overcome them. Therefore, we examined existing research on barriers and identified the gap. Using data from interviews and online surveys, our study unpacks the differences in the perception of barriers regarding the categories of company size, responsibility level, and employee age. To generate our results, we used a qualitative content analysis to generate frequencies of 29 barrier characteristics in seven dimensions from 1,436 statements by 525 survey participants. The most prominent barrier dimensions across all categories are Corporate Culture and Structural Mismatch. Together, they account for 35–50% of the total barrier perceptions. Moreover, the barrier characteristic deficient IT infrastructure scores somewhat similarly in all categories, with around 11% on average. Our research contributes to identifying similarities in the different categories and paves the way for higher generalizability.

With the proliferation of contemporary digital technologies, Digital Transformation (DT) has become a significant theme for companies across almost all industries. DT encompasses the digitalization of internal processes, the provision of digital services and products, and the enhancement of the customer experience. Previous research has delved into different barriers that impede successful DT. In our study, we investigate further how these barriers are perceived by employees at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in contrast to larger enterprises (LEs). We employ a mixed-methods approach by performing a quantitative analysis using the Means, Mann-Whitney U test with effect size and integrating it with qualitative results converted into frequencies. Our empirical data consist of two samples consisting of participants from 189 SMEs and 221 LEs for quantitative analysis and participants from 238 SMEs and 281 LEs for qualitative analysis. Overall, the results suggest a relatively similar perception of DT processes, indicating culture and structure as major barriers. However, the establishment of resources dedicated to managing DT emerges as a vaster barrier for SMEs than for LEs. At the same time, SMEs face fewer barriers regarding general personnel resources.

Humanity is faced with another revolution now: “Industry 4.0”. In addition to economic elements, other dimensions of societal structures are also fundamentally reorganized by this novel revolution. As a natural consequence of this development, digital transformation became a substantial issue for business organizations, the crucial players of the economy in society. Several studies have investigated the antecedents, processes, and consequences associated with digitalization in organizations. However, the overwhelming majority of these studies discussed the issue from the perspective of white-collar employees, who are the decision-makers or decision developers. Thus, it could be suggested that there is a significant gap in digitalization literature about the views of blue-collar employees, who are bound by the consequences of the decisions by the white collars. Therefore, the current study aims to emphasize the “non-tackled” conditions of blue-collar workers during organizational digital transformation. Furthermore, only a few studies solidified (or warranted) their claims with a theoretical approach. Thus, the present study also aims to discuss whether the textures of Scandinavian Institutionalism and digital transformation are consistent to test Scandinavian Institutionalism as an alternative theoretical foundation for future studies that will search for an adequate theory to understand this phenomenon better. Finally, the current study also aims to recommend certain research avenues to combine the digital transformation of blue-collar employees and Scandinavian Institutionalism.

The German engineering sector is one of the most prominent industries in Germany in terms of revenues, the number of employees, and reputation for the “Made in Germany” brand. In this industry, digital transformation (DT) has become a significant trend. DT is more than optimizing internal processes by digital means. It entails the offer of digital services and products and the enhancement of customer experience. Complex barriers need to be overcome to drive this transformation forward. Therefore, our study analysis the organizational barriers to DT within the German engineering industry. We follow a quantitative approach to gain insight on organizational barriers by a comparison of digitalized and less digitalized enterprises and their DTs. Our research demonstrates that digitalized enterprises perceive lower degrees of certain barriers in leadership, culture, employees, and skills, which are essential parts in a socio-technical view. However, there are still barriers that digitalized enterprises are struggling with.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced a transition to digital teaching in higher education institutions (HEIs) as it was the only safe method for higher education (HE) teaching during the pandemic. However, this crisis emphasized the barriers students face worldwide. For digital HE teaching to survive in the future, these barriers should be overcome. The present paper aimed to systematically identify these barriers and present recommendations to overcome them. For this purpose, a quantitative survey (n = 369) was conducted with students in three countries, and qualitative student statements were analyzed. Possible countermeasures for corresponding barriers are described, and related stakeholders are identified. Thus, the study provided an overview of recommendations for stakeholders to overcome the barriers. The recommendations to resolve most barriers entail offering hybrid formats, adjusting lecture design, and ensuring proper communication.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the rapid transition to digital teaching enabled higher education institutions (HEIs) to continue teaching. The strict execution exposed barriers that both teachers and students have faced towards digital higher education teaching around the world. In this paper, the barriers from both perspectives are identified and systematically processed. For this purpose, a quantitative survey of 396 students from HEIs in Sweden, Türkiye, and Germany was conducted. The students' barriers were identified and assigned to categories based on teachers' barrier categories, which were analyzed in a pre-study by conducting a literature review. The teachers' barrier categories could be confirmed by the students' survey. However, within the subcategories, the two perspectives differ. All categories and subcategories are described in detail so that this contribution offers an overview of barriers that have to be overcome if digital higher education teaching will be followed in the future. © 2022 Gesellschaft fur Informatik (GI). All rights reserved.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are facing significant progress in their digitalization. Covid-19 is an external affordance in which digitalization helps to secure social distance. Internal affordances are requirements to enhance the students’ learning experience. We analyze students’ attitudes toward the digitalization of their HEI based on empirical data from two groups of students within the same study program during the pandemic. Before the pandemic, the first group started on-campus and was forced into online teaching. The second group started online. Our results show that students, to a high degree, perceive harm in their learning success. At the same time, they have trust in the HEI’s data handling. Generally, the group, which started online, shows a slightly higher negative perception. The differences between the two groups show a low to medium degree. Our work contributes to clarifying the impact of having to start studies online, which seems to be minor.

Developments within digital technology are redefining how spectators will experience sport in the future. Combined with current crises, it creates new demands on how sports arenas can generate visitors to their events. An alternative can be virtual arenas. Therefore, this study aimed to understand the visitor’s expectations of a virtual arena and identify key factors that affected potential spectators’ intentions to visit a virtual arena. This qualitative study collected empirical data through focus groups. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT 2) was used as a theoretical foundation for the analysis. This study results in an enhanced hypothetical model arguing for additional elements affecting a spectator’s intention to visit a virtual arena. Our research contributes to helping shape future research on and practical implementation of virtual arenas.

Digital Transformation is one of the megatrends to re-shape industries, non-profit sectors, higher education, and even societies. Digital technologies merge with physical production processes provoking changes in value creation processes. These changes may lead to positive effects such as more effectiveness, revised business models, and closer customer contact. However, there are also negative effects hindering the digital transformation journey. As many firms still struggle, it is essential to understand the barriers which slow down or even stop a digital transformation. Based on qualitative data from 525 respondents working in different sectors, we reevaluate and extend an existing model by using a triangulation approach. The result is a holistic socio-technical model of the barriers to digital transformation consisting of seven distinct dimensions. The model can serve as input for future research instruments. Firms can use it to reflect barriers in their digital transformation.

With the rise of modern technologies, digital transformation (DT) has become an issue in nearly all industries. In enterprises, DT means to digitalize internal processes, offer digital services and products, and enhance the customer experience. However, complex barriers hinder the successful transformation. Our study follows an explorative mixed-method design. Through a qualitative data collection with 46 participants and a quantitative data collection with 824 participants, we sequentially identify the barriers to DT and transfer them into a testable research model. This paper offers a proposal for an instrument to measure barriers to DT. The identified predictors explain 50% of the alteration problems of the transformation process. The results offer further research an existing instrument to build upon. Also, the instrument is helpful for managers to measure hinders in DT processes and to develop counter-measurements. Our results indicate that many barriers depend on organizational issues rather than the individual level. 

Digital Transformation (DT) impacts industries, non-profit sectors, higher education, and even societies. As connectivity technologies blend with physical assets, modifications in value creation processes are provoked. These modifications may have positive impacts such as higher effectivity, enhanced business models, and improved customer connection. However, realizing a DT is a complex endeavor. Specific properties, so-called barriers, hinder the DT journey. Thus, it is essential to grasp the barriers and indicate ways to overcome them. We develop a decision matrix for overcoming barriers using qualitative data from participants working in different sectors. This work builds upon a pre-study developing a barrier classification and enhances it with specific recommendations such as “define clear DT responsibilities”. Thus, our work takes the development of plain barrier classifications further. From a theoretical perspective, this work contributes to developing hypothetical models of the effects of recommendations to overcome barriers in the future. From a practical perspective, companies can use the recommendations to plan actions to take.

Digital Transformation is a ubiquitous process envisioned to enhance operations, business models, and customer contact. Practically, barriers stand in the way of these enhancements. In a Master’s course on Business Informatics, a research-based learning design was used to research these barriers. Furthermore, the research-based learning design was expected to generate a positive student engagement, as the course had to be adopted to Covid-19 teaching policies. Results of the data generated throughout the course show a high explanation power of the applied barrier model as the adjusted R² is 0,648. In the evaluation of the course design, students perceive the effects of the research-based design on their understanding and their critical thinking as excellent.

Jägersro is a horse racing track situated in Malmö, Sweden. A public body funded this organization to start its Machine Learning (ML) journey. Jägersro wants to use this opportunity to initiate its journey towards a digitally transformed organization. During its ML journey, the institution will face different barriers. This study aims to analyze the start of the organization’s journey. A sociomaterial perspective is applied during the analysis to generalize the findings. A project like this is an ideal start for a digital transformation as ML is a well-defined area. Results indicate a strong need for making implementation efforts visible and material to spark further development of a DT.

Sociotechnical and sociomaterial perspectives are tools for research on Information System. As Digital Transformation is a research area related to IS, this paper takes these two perspectives into account for a literature review. The explicit use of both perspectives is rather limited. Still, sociotechnical is the broader perspective. A call for more sociomateriality in research on Digital Transformation is the aim of this reflection paper.

Objectives: Digital transformation (DT) has become an imperative within research and practice. Still, companies experience obstacles when trying to pursue a successful DT. Numerous scientific sources have dealt with the identification of barriers to DT. In doing so, scientists have already produced reviews to identify and classify the barriers to DT. However, the scientific work often relates to specific company contexts. In addition, there is no structured overview of the literature on how to overcome barriers to DT. The mere identification provides an incomplete view on the barriers to DT and needs to be complemented by approaches to overcome them. Thus, our research question is: Which barriers and recommendations for action to DT exist within the scientific literature and how can they be clustered according to a holistic sociotechnical perspective?

Data and Method: Our study follows the approach of a structured literature review combined with additional focus group work to generate a concept matrix to structure barriers and recommendations for action. The conducted literature search generated 562 articles (without duplicates). After a first screening 148 articles were deemed to be applicable for our study. A more in-depth qualitative check generated 99 relevant articles. Different sections of these articles were openly coded into 178 barriers and 161 recommendations for action. These codes were then clustered in focus group sessions.

Results: The result of our research approach is a framework containing clustered barriers and cluster-related recommendations for overcoming. The following clusters were identified: individual, technical, financial, organizational alignment, organizational design, organizational culture, market environment, and regulatory. Our review discloses that not all clusters receive equal attention in the literature. In particular, organizational culture is given less consideration, while especially individual, technical and financial is in focus. The identified recommendations for action show that not all barriers can be solved by the companies themselves but require governmental support instead.

Conclusions: Our study generated a holistic framework. As barriers either slow down or even entirely hinder DT, understanding their nature is essential. Our discussion reveals that several barriers are contrasting each other. This implies that managers need to carefully balance DT initiatives. The framework provides guidance on doing so. The findings also provide a solid foundation for future research, as our literature review presents a state-of-the-art of current research and reveals research gaps.

Digital transformation (DT) describes technology-based improvements in business processes, business models, and customer experience. It promises efficiency gains for industrial enterprises. Nonprofit organizations also expect advantages from DT. However, barriers hinder realizing all its possible advantages in both sectors. If decision-makers recognize the potential barriers, they can reflect upon these challenges and take well-coordinated countermeasures. Orienting towards a Straussian grounded theory approach, a framework of barriers is developed with data of two diverse sectors: industry and nonprofit. According to the framework pre-conditions such as profit-orientation and size shape the possibilities to tackle different barriers. In general, the DT process in the industry-sector has been slowed down by barriers. Whereas, nonprofit organizations often take the view that they are not in a DT process at all. This might be due to limited individual and organizational perspectives. Especially, NPOs have to work on their recruitment of skilled volunteers to challenge this view.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are significantly progressing, especially to external affordances caused by Covid-19. Digital assets are an opportunity during the pandemic to secure social distance and enhance the students’ learning experience at the same time. Also, student administration might benefit from new digitally-enhanced opportunities. There is no uniform procedure for the use of digital media in teaching and student services. Thus, HEIs need to ascertain students’ attitudes toward the technologies used. To compare attitudes before and during the pandemic, we surveyed students about their perceptions. The first round of surveys was completed in a blended learning setting in fall 2019 before the global pandemic of Covid-19. The second round was conducted in an online learning setting in February 2021 after nearly one year of higher education under Covid-19. Our results show that students’ perceptions toward digitalization at HEIs differ in many aspects due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Students during the pandemic are more critical of the effects on their learning success. The study indicates that the adoption has taken place more quickly in the area of services. Still, teaching concepts and the learning culture lag behind.

Digitization is among the macro-trends that significantly determine the business world of the 21st century. Firms striving to succeed in this environment have to develop new strategic approaches. The accelerating development of information technology drives digitization. Thus, IT strategy and business strategy need to be integrated. In this context, information systems literature promotes the concept of digital business strategy, reflecting a fusion between IT strategy and business strategy. However, currently, we do not know much about the characteristics and different types of such digital business strategies. To this end, we develop a conceptually and empirically grounded typology of digital business strategies. Based on a dataset of 281 firms worldwide, we carry out a cluster analysis, identify basic types of digital business strategies and evaluate their effects on firm performance. The paper contributes to a better understanding of new business strategy concepts. It thus enriches the extant insights from innovation management, strategic management, and information systems literature in the context of digitization.

The ongoing process of digitalization and development of self-adaptive systems in manufacturing is announced as Industry 4.0. It hauls a fundamental change not only in production processes as the whole value chain of an enterprise is affected. Many practical approaches can be found which deal with the engineering aspects of Industry 4.0 technologies. A deeper discussion about the enterprise-wide use, integration and application is still missing. This paper examines the impact of the digital transformation on value chain processes. On the basis of a case study in cooperation with a German engineering company, we develop an overview of the actual integration state of Industry 4.0 into the value chain. Using the model of the value chain from Porter, we will show these impacts.

The rise of digital technologies is a macro trend, forcing organizations to transform digitally. This so-called digital transformation (DT) is affecting the field of higher education, too. Higher education institutions (HEI) digitalize internal processes and offer digitally-enabled education services. Different types of barriers are challenging a successful DT and need to be mastered. Our study follows a longitudinal research design by surveying different student cohorts in the same courses. Before the pandemic, we identified the barriers to DT and transferred them into a research model. Pre-pandemic, we surveyed the influence of barriers perceived by management students on the DT process of their HEI. Taking the pandemic as a solid external driver on DT, we examined students’ intra-pandemic perception in the same courses as the pre-pandemic analysis. With pre-pandemic data, the projection explains over 50% of the adjustment problems of the DT process. Based on intra-pandemic data, the explanation decreases to 45%. Hypothetically, we expected a better explanation degree as an impact of the pandemic. Interestingly, results indicate that intra-pandemic perceptions got more complex and, therefore, less significant. 

Internationaliseringen av den svenska akademin har kommit olika långt vid olika lärosäten och inom olika ämnesområden. Det är dock uppenbart att Sveriges lärosäten aktivt kommer att behöva ytterligare internationalisera sin verksamhet för att kunna påverka ännu mer lokalt, regionalt, nationellt och internationellt. Internationellt samarbete finns givetvis sedan länge inom utbildning och/eller forskning, men sällan sammanhållen med samverkan med näringsliv och offentlig verksamhet. Allt fler lärosäten funderar nu på hur man strategiskt ska koppla ihop internationalisering med lärosätets ambition för samverkan. 

Högskolornas nästa utmaning är att bygga kompletta internationella kunskapsmiljöer där samverkan kommer att behövas i lika stor grad som på den nationella arenan.

For the third time in a row, HICSS is hosting the minitrack Making Digital Transformation Real. We received six submissions from 16 authors. Mainly, authors are affiliated with European research institutions. Also, we received submissions from authors affiliated with South African and Canadian research institutions. This year, with the COVID-19 pandemic, we received fewer submissions than expected. Topic- wise, the focus is clearly on the development of frameworks and the setting-up of propositions. We use a framework by Vial to classify the three selected submissions. Through the lens of the framework, there is an orientation towards research on structure and value creation. For the future, there is the need to develop more specific hypotheses for testing. Research on other areas of Vial’s framework, such as strategy and impact, is needed.

With the rise of digital technologies, digital transformation (DT) has become an issue in nearly all industries. In enterprises, DT means to digitalize internal processes, offer digital services as well as products, and enhance the customer experience. As the transformation is complex, barriers hinder the successful transformation. However, an instrument for the measurement of barriers and their effects on the DT of an organization is missing. Our research questions are therefore: What are the barriers to DT in industry and industry-related areas? How can they be described and measured?

Technology-based business improvements characterize the so-called digital transformation (DT). For non-profit organizations (NPOs), with their unique value creation structure and specific preconditions in terms of staff and resources, keeping up with the DT is challenging. Still, opportunities for the DT are unknown. Thus far, there are no comprehensive guidelines for DT strategy development in NPOs. Both digital value creation and digitally supported communication with customers can lead to competitive advantages. Therefore, NPO decision-makers must understand the opportunities and the challenges of DT. In our research approach, we aim to answer the research question: What are the fields of action for the digital transformation in NPOs? Following a grounded theory approach, we have developed a theoretical framework including fields of action and guidance for the strategic advancement of DT in NPOs. The results show that NPOs need to be aware of their digital communications channels with volunteer staff, customers and donors. A clear DT vision and new roles help NPOs meet this challenge.

Research on barriers to Digital Transformation (DT) in German non-digitally born (NDB) companies exists. This existing research could potentially be extended into different directions to validate and contrast results. We have chosen to continue the current research into Barriers to DT in Turkish digitally born (DB) companies. As a country, Turkey has a lower degree of digitalization than Germany. At the same time, DB companies might face fewer obstacles within their DT journey than NDB companies.

With the rise of digital technologies, digital transformation (DT) has become an issue in the field of higher education. In higher education institutions and enterprises alike, DT means to digitalize internal processes and offer digital services and products. There are barriers that must be overcome to master this challenge. Our study follows an explorative mixed methods design. We identify the barriers to DT and transfer them to a research model. We examine the influence of individually perceived barriers on the DT process, thus contributing to the theoretical foundation of DT barriers in higher education institutions. This paper offers an approved scale to measure barriers to DT and a valid operationalization of DT barriers. The identified predictors can explain over 50% of the alteration problems of the DT process. Results indicate that management students have a significantly low level of concern regarding their privacy and traceability but demand more commitment at the organizational level.

The digitalization of higher education institutions is progressing significantly. Though the use of digital assets enhances the students’ learning experience and offers new opportunities for administration, there are no uniform standards for the use of digital media in teaching and student services. As educational service providers, universities are dependent on students being able to cope with the structures offered. Thus it is essential to ascertain students’ attitudes of the technologies used. We asked students from three blended learning courses about their perceptions. We further asked the students what should be done and by whom. Our results show that students see structural changes occurring not only in themselves but also at the level of the university management. Our research contributes to the actual discussion about the digitalization of higher education by offeringsuggestions for development from a students’ view. The results are valuable for lecturers and faculty managers who want to advance the digitalization of services and learning.

Companies expect significant long-term gains in efficiency and productivity through digital transformation (DT). New ways of combining products, processes, and data-driven services, as well as new business models emerge. However, the rapid development of the DT leads to constraints regarding its realization. Barriers hinder companies to realize possible advantages out of DT. If firms promptly recognize potential barriers, they can reflect upon these challenges and can take well-coordinated countermeasures. Social, technical and socio-technical problems address different stakeholders and ask for specific solutions. Therefore, our study aims at developing a taxonomy for barriers to DT to enable researchers and practitioners to identify and classify existing barriers. For deriving the dimensions and characteristics, we collected data by conducting 46 semi-structured interviews with experts and enriched these by looking at the literature on DT barriers.

Digital Transformation (DT) is expected to have a massive impact on different branches and even societies. In the manufacturing industry, value creation processes change as information and communication technologies merge with production processes. The change may enable efficiency gains and new business models. However, many firms still struggle to drive their digital transformation forward. To understand the barriers which hinder or even stop DT is essential for the successful transformation. Our study aims at identifying the barriers on the basis of 46 expert interviews. These practical insights are further used to develop a research agenda. To determine the research gaps, we conduct a literature review on the topics mentioned by the interviewees. Thus, we contribute by first of all identifying major barriers which can support firms by reflecting their DT. Moreover, we give an outlook for researchers on possible future exploration. So, we bring together perspectives from research and practice.

Digital Transformation (DT) is based on superior connectivity and in an explosion of available data, changing the way enterprises do business. This frequently implies the development of new strategies, new business models and new capabilities. By proposing the mini-track Making Digital Transformation Real, the objective is to put forward new ideas about how companies, managers, and individuals are dealing with the complexity around this phenomenon. Papers selected highlight challenges and opportunities for large, small, and medium companies from different sectors. In this editorial, after presenting a short introduction to the topic, different contributions are briefly presented to offer a snapshot of this mini-track.

Digital transformation (DT) has become a buzzword, triggering different disciplines in research and influencing practice, which leads to independent research streams. Scholars investigate the antecedents, contingencies, and consequences of these disruptive technologies by examining the use of single technologies or of digitization, in general. Approaches are often very specialized and restricted to their domains. Thus, the immense breadth of technologies and their possible applications conditions a fragmentation of research, impeding a holistic view. With this systematic literature review, we aim to fill this gap in providing an overview of the different disciplines of DT research from a holistic business perspective. We identified the major research streams and clustered them with co-citation network analysis in nine main areas. Our research shows the main fields of interest in digital transformation research, overlaps of the research areas and fields that are still underrepresented. Within the business research areas, we identified three dominant areas in literature: finance, marketing, and innovation management. However, research streams also arise in terms of single branches like manufacturing or tourism. This study highlights these diverse research streams with the aim of deepening the understanding of digital transformation in research. Yet, research on DT still lacks in the areas of accounting, human resource management, and sustainability. The findings were distilled into a framework of the nine main areas for assisting the implications on potential research gaps on DT from a business perspective.

This abstract reflects on how to design a course on a topic which is fast evolving and which might change the nature of education, too? A DT course was taught to working graduate students attending an evening program in Business Studies during the spring semester 2019 in Istanbul, Turkey. The course delivery was rather traditional with classroom lectures, including 70% of compulsory attendance. These restrictions were set by the program management. Content-wise the lectures focus on discussing cases of successful DT companies during the lectures. Assignments are done as case study, data collection from the field of DT, and final exam. We followed (Krathwohl 2002) to reflect upon the course development. Feedback data from participating students were collected to serve as a base for analysis. Feedback was collected from 9 out of 14 participants, which represents a rather small population.

Digital transformation is one of the most current topics for the manufacturing industry. This transformation affects the operational value creation process, enables new ways of doing business and leads to fundamental changes in organizations. However, the implementation of new digital technologies, as well as the realization of these changes, still face many difficulties. It is important to understand organizational and individual adoption processes. Which drivers push the adoption of digital technologies in manufacturing? We used a qualitative research approach to gain in-depth insights from interviews with 16 participants. For digital transformation in manufacturing, we identified 12 drivers as well as perceived or expected advantages that arise with the technology use. Companies are mainly motivated by the goal of process improvement and demands communicated by their customers. We aim to strengthen the understanding of the whole disruptive and vast changing processes which are ongoing in manufacturing.

Digital Transformation (DT) is an essential trend for manufacturing companies as digitalization of the value chain affects the entire company. Strategic management functions should consider DT technologies and their impact on assets and resources. The knowledge of the possible factors that influence DT positively may ease a realization of gains due to DT. In 20 qualitative interviews, we examined critical factors for DT's success in manufacturing companies. Based on the IS success model of DeLone and McLean, we have derived success factors that can trigger DT success. The success factors describe the three major dimensions in which DT takes place: technology, organization, and environment. The results show that DT can only be successful if companies collaborate with customers, suppliers and also other firms from the branch. A cultural change is necessary to enable an agile working environment as well as more interdisciplinary activities. It becomes evident that the choice of technology is essential. However, driving only technology forward is not enough to gain benefits from DT.

Digital Transformation (DT) affects whole enterprises and is expected to drive a disruptive change in the way people work. Digital technologies leverage changes from simple tasks to the enterprise-wide strategy. Enterprises expect major benefits from investments in DT. However, digital transformation is a complex process and hence difficult to understand. Many different use scenarios exist so that decisions about the adoption of technologies are challenging. Therefore, it is critical to understand which benefits might be achieved with DT. With our research, we contribute to the understanding of digital transformation success. We develop and evaluate a framework that covers the main dimensions of digital transformation success. Literature from IS success and DT research is used to identify these dimensions. To evaluate this framework, we use data gained in a qualitative approach. We combine findings from a literature research with qualitative results to offer deeper insights into peoples' understanding of what shapes the success. The framework is useful to classify benefits achieved by DT and to point out new possibilities of gaining success with DT.

The ongoing process of digital transformation in manufacturing – known as Industry 4.0 - hauls fundamental change. The whole value chain of enterprises is affected. As the digital transformation of businesses is still ongoing, many enterprises struggle with the challenges arising. This paper aims to show these struggles but also to contribute by analyzing how enterprises are transforming. We take a phenomenological view of the ongoing transformation. To get in-depth insights, we conducted and analyzed 18 interviews with 10 companies. For most companies, the digital transformation starts in operations with the vision of building a smart factory. Other primary and support activities also need to transform. These essential changes lead to restructuring and extensions of the strategy of manufacturing companies. Following these changes, companies will not need to choose either cost advantage or differentiation as a strategy but instead can do both.

For manufacturing companies, digital transformation is one major future trend. The digitalization of the value chain affects the whole business from procurement and production to sales processes. Following the idea of digitalization, enterprises have to revise the integration of suppliers and customers. As the comprehensive rollout of digitalized processes, products and services is still ongoing, it is important to learn duly which factors are important to tailor the success of the digital transformation. In 20 in-depth interviews, we examined key-factors that impact the success of digital transformation in manufacturing enterprises. Based on the IS success model by DeLone and McLean we deduced categories from the dimensions system quality and information quality as well as categories that are strongly linked to the digital transformation itself. The latter ones have no clear equivalent in the basic model. In summary, one thing becomes obvious: following the idea of a digitalized world, one major qualification for success will be the ability for integration and cooperation with internal and external partners.

As the newspaper industry faces major structural changes, it strives to find viable business models that can complement and replace old sources of revenue. Crowdfunding is one source which has emerged as a possible model for financing journalism. The present study, which uses survey data (n=1,006) gathered from the Swedish population, examines whether there is a potential market for crowdfunded journalism. The results of the study indicate that there is not much awareness of crowdfunding, and that most respondents had a negative attitude towards using the model for financing news. However, knowledge about the model made respondents’ attitudes more positive towards using it for funding news and, in turn, increased their likelihood of paying for news using such a model. The conclusion is that the market for crowdfunding news is still immature, but it may be of value to newspaper companies as an additional revenue model. By increasing awareness of the model, there is potential to sway certain demographics in the population towards a more positive attitude and, as a result, increase the likelihood of them paying for news in accordance with the model.

The MEDEA Studio was a research centre founded at Malmö University. It focused on collaborative media and design to promote research and practice in connection with its surrounding environment for better innovation and outreach. During its history, MEDEA has undergone several changes leading to diverse challenges. This field report examines MEDEA’s development from the perspectives of knowledge acquisition and learning with the aim to analyse factors for success and failures. As society and especially academia struggle with understanding how to innovate and connect, reflecting on the different instantiations of the MEDEA studio can bring insights for researchers, practitioners, administrators and the studio’s future development.

Teachers set up course descriptions presenting intended learning outcomes, activities and exams as well as content. These course descriptions are carefully planned often with the aim to meet constructive alignment between different course parts. This study analyzes the constructive alignment observed by students after joining a course with elements of case teaching by using cognitive networks and evaluating them with a software tool called Mannheimer Netzwerk Elaborations Technik (MaNET). The aim is to check from a student’s point of view which parts of the course are well aligned and which parts might need an alignment adjustment.

En avhandling i Tyskland är ett hinder för en karriär inom företag. Den här rapporten visa personliga erfarenheter.