Digital technologies nowadays play a major role in innovation within the agri-food domain. The evolution of IT systems has currently arrived at a level that involves complex systems integration and ...business ecosystems in which many stakeholders in different roles are involved. A new paradigm for digital innovation is needed that copes with this increased complexity.
This paper presents an empirically informed framework for analysing and designing viable, sustainable digital innovation ecosystems in the agri-food domain.
The research is based on a series of European large-scale public-private innovation projects from 2011 to 2021 with a total budget of 73 M€. They involved hundreds of stakeholders that were developing a large number of digital solutions through which a digital innovation ecosystem for agri-food was formed. In a longitudinal study, a conceptual framework was used to analyse these projects and describe how the digital innovation ecosystem has developed. Lessons learnt are translated into a number of design principles and an organizational approach to foster digital innovation ecosystems in agri-food.
The conceptual framework consists of 6 key concepts: (i) innovation strategy, (ii) innovation organization, (iii) innovation network that contains (iv) the innovation process and (v) the innovation object and finally (vi) an innovation infrastructure. Along these 6 concepts, lessons learnt and in total 21 design principles are derived from analysing the projects forming a basis for the organizational framework. At the core of this framework is a lean multi-actor approach to trials and use case development interacting with a set of multidisciplinary activities: (i) developing a common technical collaboration infrastructure, (ii) identifying value streams with user engagement, (iii) engaging the right partners and stakeholders at the right time supported by strategic project planning and dynamic management. The most important conclusion is that effective, successful and quick use of appropriate IT in agri-food requires that actors should not be analysed in isolation from both their technological and business environment. Another consequence is that a ‘minimal viable ecosystem’ only emerges after considerable time, resources and ingenuity is invested and may require outside (government) intervention.
Results from this paper can be used both by public and private stakeholders to diagnose and improve digital innovation projects and develop viable, sustainable digital innovation ecosystems in agri-food.
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•A data economy for food systems based on data spaces requires understanding and optimizing digital innovation ecosystems.•A conceptual framework is used to analyse the development of large digital innovation ecosystems in agri-food in Europe.•Lessons learnt are translated into design principles and approach to organize digital innovation ecosystems in agri-food.•The core is a lean multi-actor approach in use case development interacting with multidisciplinary activities.•The framework, design principles and approach can be used by stakeholders to foster viable digital innovation ecosystems.
With the shift from the industrial era to the digital era and the increasing importance of digital transformation (DT) in organizations, a new role in the top management team of organizations ...emerged, that of the chief digital officer (CDO). This emerging phenomenon relates to a Chief (C) - level executive position, focused on the development and implementation of the digital strategy in organizations. To provide a better understanding of the nature of this phenomenon, as well as to develop the basis from which scholars to be based on for further developing this research stream, we conduct a systematic review of 29 articles published in highly esteemed business journals. By synthesizing the review findings, we identified emerging themes and core areas of inquiry, and clarified the nature, typologies and role of CDOs in organizations. Moreover, based on the synthesis and gaps identified in this review, as well as via the transfer of theory from the CEO-TMT literature, several research propositions are developed for scholars to test in the future and a new concept is emerged, that of the Multifunctional CDO Leadership. In conclusion this study provides various implications to both research and management practice.
In recent years, driven by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, digital transformation in the healthcare sector is becoming increasingly important. Digital healthcare technologies, if adopted in a ...targeted manner and implemented in a cost-effective way, make it possible to reduce healthcare inequalities, improve the quality of healthcare provided and increase the well-being of citizens. The importance of digital transformation in healthcare is also attracting interest from academics. However, at present, there are few studies aimed at examining the degree of digital transformation in healthcare and the drivers of the adoption and implementation of digital solutions by healthcare facilities. This study aims to fill this gap by analysing the level of digital transformation of Italian hospitals and the factors that can affect this level of digital transformation. The analysis, conducted on a sample of 103 hospitals, shows a positive and significant impact of the hospital size, hospital age and hospital teaching status on the level of digital transformation. Furthermore, in relation to hospital complexity, it shows a positive effect of the presence of the emergency room and a non-significant influence of the number of hospital departments on the level of digital transformation.
•In recent years, digital transformation in the healthcare sector is becoming increasingly important.•Few academic studies analysed the level of digital transformation of the healthcare organizations.•This study analyses the level of digital transformation of 103 Italian hospitals.•Results show that some characteristics of hospitals affect the level of digital transformation.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse how digital technologies trigger changes in the business process of manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Apulia Region (South ...Italy). As SMEs play an essential role in the process value creation of industries and countries, the article examines the enablers of Industry 4.0 in a regional contexts characterized by delay in research and development and innovation performances where the companies' competitiveness is based on limited knowledge and technological assets.Design/methodology/approachThe case study of Smart District 4.0, an ongoing project aimed to promote the digitalization of SMEs operating in the Agri–Food, Clothing–Footwear and Mechanics–Mechatronics in the Apulia Region (South Italy) is analysed. The project has been financed by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development with the final aim to sustain the digital transformation of SMEs in South Italy.FindingsThe results introduce a four levels approach of engagement of SMEs in the adoption of digital technologies, namely, digital awareness, digital enquirement, digital collaboration and digital transformation. Furthermore, for each level of engagement the study describes and discusses some relevant variables that could be used by managers and entrepreneurs to assess the level of readiness for utilization of digital technologies and how to digitalize some processes.Practical implicationsPractical implications regard the definition of a roadmap useful to assess and manage the level of digital transformation of SMEs. Limitations of the study regarding the temporal dimension of the evidences associated to the Smart District 4.0 as well as to the regional context was analysed.Originality/valueOriginality resides in the definition of a roadmap for the digital transformation of SMEs in a region where the profile of companies' digital maturity is still low.
Purpose
While it is known that digital transformation facilitates data flow in supply chains, its importance on green supply chain management (GSCM) has not been investigated concisely. This paper ...aims to expand the theory of digital transformation in GSCM by investigating the interconnections between these concepts and providing an integrative view of a smart green supply chain management (Smart GSCM).
Design/methodology/approach
This adopts a configurational perspective on digital transformation and supply chain management (SCM) to investigate the different dimensions of Smart GSCM and their contribution to green performance. Therefore, this paper analyzes data from 473 manufacturing companies using regression techniques.
Findings
The results show how smart supply chain contributes to green performance through managing green relationships (external GSCM activities) and establishing green operations (internal GSCM activities). Furthermore, this paper finds partial mediating effects for external and internal GSCM activities on green performance. These findings show that smart supply chain (i.e. digital transformation strategy and front-end technologies, supported by several back-end technologies) is directly associated with higher levels of GSCM. It is specifically associated with one of the internal dimensions of green operations, namely, green purchasing activities. Hence, the findings suggest that digital transformation alone is insufficient to achieve green performance, needing a GSCM configuration to mediate this effect.
Practical implications
This study calls attention to how managers should integrate these at least three different perspectives of SCM: digital transformation, external relationships and internal operations to increase green performance.
Originality/value
As the main contribution, this study provides a configurational and holistic understanding of the different dimensions and mechanisms in Smart GSCM.
The study's primary purpose has been to examine the association between Green Digital Transformational Leadership, Green Digital Mindset, and Green Digital Transformation Under Varying Permutations ...of Organizational Green Digital Culture. Using the Stimuli-Organism-Response theory and the transformational leadership theory as the underpinning theoretical frameworks, the direct, indirect, and moderated roles of in effectuating have been investigated. After performing PLS-based structural equation modeling on the data collected from 240 respondents approached via LinkedIn, a direct as well as indirect positive linkage between Green Digital Transformational Leadership, Green Digital Mindset, and Green Digital Transformation has been empirically substantiated, emphasizing the importance of Green Digital Transformational Leadership in enabling Green Digital Transformation through the cultivation of an ecologically aware mindset among their followers. The significant positive moderation effect of Organizational Green Digital Culture on the Green Digital Transformational Leadership - Green Digital Mindset relationship reveals that the nurturing of an effective Organizational Green Digital Culture could amplify the instrumentality of Green Digital Transformational Leadership in maturing Green Digital Mindset among the followers, which has been regarded as an essential precursor for Green Digital Transformation. Besides expanding the body of knowledge by offering rare insights into the interplay among Green Digital Transformational Leadership, Green Digital Mindset, and Green Digital Transformation, the newfangled model provides significant implications for the organizations'’, teams', and/or leaders' pursuits of capacitating green digital transformation through the culmination of green digital mindset among the followers, and the cultivation of an enabling green digital culture.
We examine the relationship between digital transformation and corporate financialization using Chinese-listed firms from 2007 to 2021. Results show that digital transformation facilitates corporate ...financialization, and this positive relationship is pronounced among firms with high agency costs and low institutional ownership. We find that the profit-chasing motive for financialization is the predominant driving force. To verify the motivation, we find that risk-taking behaviors and the yield spreads between financial and tangible assets increase along with the digital transformation. To avoid excessive financialization, corporate managers and regulatory agencies should strengthen their corporate governance under digital transformation.
•The relationship between digital transformation and corporate financialization is examined.•Digital transformation facilitates corporate financialization.•The relationship is stronger in firms with high agency costs and low institutional ownership.•We find that the profit-chasing motive for financialization is the predominant driving force.
This study attempts to understand the determinants and consequences of service experience toward retailers’ digital transformation by comparing empirical results from entrepreneurs and consumers. For ...entrepreneurs, the critical antecedents of service experience include entertainment, tangibility, reliability, and empathy. For customers, the critical antecedents include entertainment, interactivity, tangibility, and empathy. Meanwhile, regarding the consequences of service experience, service experience directly affects both continuous use intention and satisfaction. However, satisfaction mediates the relationship between service experience and continuous use intention for entrepreneurs. In addition, no direct effect is found. Overall, service experience has a meditating effect between stimulus and response variables. Meanwhile, entrepreneurs and customers have different perceptions of the proposed topic.
The technological habitat in which successful firms may flourish is in rapid change. With digital transformation (DT), everything is connected and interdependent. Manual processes are now automated ...for most businesses. As a result, habits, and needs are changing, which, in turn, affects the conventional way firms offer their goods and services. Airlines are eager to participate in the trend as well. Those who adapt quickly to this new world will gain a greater share of the pie. However, most airlines have bulky and rigid systems designed based on the industry’s strict rules and regulations. Thus, the transformation process required to adapt to the new era of digitalization is not a simple task. Several interrelated factors, such as strategy, organization, customer, technology, operations, ecosystem, and innovation, have to be redefined to conceptualize a valid and functioning business framework. On the other hand, connectivity and accessibility are the game’s name from the passengers’ perspective. Acknowledging the necessities of the new era, the aim of this study is two-fold: (i) to highlight the essence of DT by examining the role of DT’s sub-dimensions in the civil airline industry, (ii) and propose a Digital Transformation Maturity (DTM) self-assessment tool for determining the DT maturity level of airline firms. The former is assessed by the judgments of aviation experts using Interval Type-2 Fuzzy AHP (IT2F-AHP), while the second stage was done with a survey in an airline company. According to the results, the digital strategy and the technology are highlighted as the most prominent dimensions of the proposed DTM tool. DTM evaluation of the selected airline reveals that the company is on the right path, with an overall score of 62 in its DT journey. However, some clear improvement opportunities are visible.
•Airlines in the digital era must transform their operations.•The COVID-19 pandemic has made such technologies more relevant.•Measuring digital maturity is the initial step of digital transformation (DT).•The role of DT’s sub-dimensions in aviation is assessed with Interval Type-2 Fuzzy AHP (IT2F-AHP).•A Digital Transformation Maturity (DTM) model is proposed.
The present article considers a concept and mechanism for managing the digital transformation of Arctic target subspaces and spheres of vital activity. The necessary and sufficient conditions for ...choosing the concept and mechanism for managing the digital transformation of the development of the Arctic target subspaces and spheres of life are considered. The necessary conditions for the innovative and technological development of the Arctic territory, as well as the choice of concept and management mechanism, stem from the requirements of a set of measures that sustain human activity under the extreme conditions of the Arctic. Sufficient conditions for innovative technological development are determined by technological capabilities combined with a sufficient volume of investment in the global economy. The conceptual provisions of digital transformation are based on two main areas: (a) Industry 4.0 strategies adopted in various countries; (b) the main technological trends in the field of digital transformation of industry in the global economy. A schematic infrastructure for digital transformation of the technology-product life cycle of target subspaces and spheres of vital activity is presented along with a mechanism for managing the digital developmental transformation of Arctic target subspaces and spheres of life.
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