Digital transformation: What we have learned (thus far) and what is next

There is certainly a lot of discussion about digital technologies, their transformative nature, and their potentially disruptive impact on business and society. The number of publications on digital technologies and their impact on business and management have risen dramatically. This paper's main objective is to draw attention to practical and research-related views on what we know and what we still need to learn about business and management in the digital era. We do so by combining the insights obtained from interviews with senior managers in charge of their firm's digital transformation activities in 2017 with the results of a systematic literature review covering a decade of practice-oriented, academic literature on the impact of digital technologies. We identify the challenges that firms face at the beginning of their digital transformation efforts and summarize the managerial guidance offered by 242 publications over the years, 133 of which have been published since 2017. Based on the analysis conducted, we discuss the emerging solutions for a number of the key challenges identified in 2017, flag the remaining ones, and identify new themes that require attention. This leads us to propose an agenda for future, practice-oriented research on digital transformation.

Automated summary

There has been a significant increase in discussions about the impact of digital technologies on business and society. This paper aims to highlight practical and research perspectives on business and management in the digital era by combining insights from senior managers and literature reviews. Challenges faced by firms in the early stages of digital transformation are identified, along with managerial guidance from numerous publications. The analysis points to emerging solutions for key challenges, while also highlighting remaining obstacles and new themes requiring attention for future practice-oriented research on digital transformation.