A Taxonomy on Influencing Factors Towards Digital Transformation in SMEs

Abstract

Digital Transformation (DT) has become a challenge and opportunity for firms competing in dynamic and volatile markets. Especially small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) face difficulties within the digitalization process based on their limited resources and capabilities. It is essential to understand which factors influence this process to enable the success of DT in SMEs. However, there is fragmented research on DT in SMEs. To close this gap this paper aims to identify and categorize the influencing factors of DT in SMEs by building on the Attention Based View (ABV). Therefore, a systematic literature review was conducted with a total of 75 papers published from January 2012 to January 2022. 354 factors were identified. With the help of Gioia-Method a taxonomy was created. The main finding of the research is a taxonomy, which consists of three main categories and 17 sub-categories, which organize the factors identified from the sample. The taxonomy answers the calls in research for a comprehensive and tangible picture on the influencing factors of DT in SME independent from disciplines or industries. For practitioners the taxonomy allows to understand and approach what specific factors influence their digital transformation journey and where to put attention.

The struggle of sensor-based digital servitization: analysis and perspectives for organizational digital transformation in SMEs

“…The creation of digital services are multifaceted processes that are influenced by human, technological and organizational factors (Oppl and Stary, 2019). The results indicate that the surveyed SMEs are aware of the struggle of sensor-based digital servitization but remain in the initial phase of the transformation (Dörr et al ., 2023; Jaspert et al ., 2021). This shift results from the fact that digital servitization is not yet anchored in company strategy (Hess et al ., 2016; Oppl and Stary, 2019; Wu et al ., 2021b).…”

Digital Transformation in MSMEs: Challenges and Opportunities in Technology Management

“…Reliable technical support is an essential part of the infrastructure needed for MSMEs' digital transformation. However, reliable technical support is often unavailable to MSMEs [17]. This is a serious issue because MSMEs often have resource constraints, both financially and in terms of human resources, which make it challenging for them to access the technical support services necessary to implement digital transformation.…”

Business digital transformation: strategy adaptation, communication and future agenda

“…Additionally, areas ripe for future research include the need for technological and communication skills in DT (D€ orr et al, 2023;Shakina et al, 2021), managing security in cloudbased systems (Islam and Alqahtani, 2023;Scalco and Simske, 2023) 2. (Chen and Xu, 2023;Ebert and Duarte, 2018) and the influence of organizational culture on DT (Bouncken and Schmitt, 2022;Zhang et al, 2022).…”

“…Additionally, areas ripe for future research include the need for technological and communication skills in DT (Dörr et al. , 2023; Shakina et al.…”