Modelling the Asymmetrical Relationships between Digitalisation and Sustainable Competitiveness: A Cross-Country Configurational Analysis

Abstract

Sustainable competitiveness (SC) encourages nations not only to meet the needs of the current generation but also to sustain or even expand national wealth in the future without depleting natural and social capital. Drawing on complexity theory, we used a configurational approach to identify under what necessary and sufficient conditions, digitalisation contributes to achieve higher SC. Shifting attention from net effects to configuration analysis improves our understanding of cross-national differences in sustainability by exploring how the digitalisation factors combine to strengthen SC power across countries. To address the complexity of this configuration, we have incorporated fsQCA and NCA techniques in the modelling of high and low levels of sustainable competitiveness recipes. Analysis of data from 127 countries advanced our perception of how access to ICT infrastructures and capabilities, combined with the adoption and usage of ICT could result in different degrees of sustainable competitiveness. Theoretically, this study contributes to the literature on digitalisation and national sustainability; and it can practically act as a guideline for policymakers to understand the complex interactions and causal configurations of digitalisation factors on sustainability.

Shaping Digital Innovation Via Digital-related Capabilities

“…Digital transformation is shaping the business environments of contemporary companies and Big Data analytics and digital business ecosystems are providing increasingly new possibilities for companies to develop their businesses; therefore, companies need to be able to respond to the changes and understand the possibilities provided by increased digitalization (Delgosha et al 2020;Mikalef et al 2020;Pappas et al 2018). Companies need to find ways to exploit innovation in digitalizing business environments (Bednar and Welch 2019;Mikalef et al 2018) and to understand the role of different types of capabilities as a part of these activities (Mikalef et al 2019).…”

“…As digital transformation is shaping the business environments of contemporary companies, companies need the adjust their operations and find ways to respond to the changes. To operate in increasingly digitalized business environments, and as a part of the digital ecosystems (Delgosha et al 2020;Pappas et al 2018), companies need to not only find innovations and innovative ways to change their businesses but also develop capabilities to exploit innovation in changing surroundings. Further, Mikalef et al (2020), argued that to derive value from the growing opportunities of digitalization, such as big data, companies need to develop the organizational capacity to recognize how their businesses can benefit from data-driven insight, as well as develop capabilities to implement these recognized possibilities.…”

Boosting Sustainability in Healthcare Sector through Fintech: Analyzing the Moderating Role of Financial and ICT Development

“…The digital revolution has radically transformed economies and help societies to develop new mechanisms for human wellbeing, national wealth, natural resources, and sustainability. 60 , 61 Drawing on the complexity theory, Delgosha et al 33 argued that ICT usage, adoption, capabilities, and infrastructures encourage countries to achieve sustainable competitiveness without compromising social and natural capital. Using a global panel data of 107 countries, Laidroo and Avarmaa 62 revealed that FinTech establishment intensity is stronger in countries with greater ICT readiness and service clusters.…”

“… 31 Thereby both ICT and financial development support economies to achieve sustainable competitiveness. 32 , 33 …”

On the Combinatory Nature of Knowledge Transfer Conditions: A Mixed Method Assessment

“…This enables fsQCA as a tool to recognise the diversity and heterogeneity of cases, in terms of their causally relevant conditions and contexts, by allowing cases to be compared as configurations (Fiss, 2011). As an established analytical tool for investigating the configurational nature of conditions (Delgosha et al, 2020;Fiss, 2011;Pappas, 2018;Pappas et al, 2020) fsQCA enabled an identification of the combinations of knowledge transfer conditions that led to success in ecosystem contexts.…”