Short answer
Integrate research from diverse business functions, not just the dominant ones, when designing digital transformation initiatives to ensure a more comprehensive and effective outcome.
- Field
- Innovation & Design
- Source
- Journal of Business Economics (2019)
- Method
- Systematic literature review and citation network analysis.
- Evidence
- Moderate effect
Current research on digital transformation is siloed across various business disciplines, preventing a comprehensive understanding and strategic integration. This innovation & design research insight is drawn from a 2019 study published in Journal of Business Economics. Using Systematic literature review and citation network analysis., researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Integrate research from diverse business functions, not just the dominant ones, when designing digital transformation initiatives to ensure a more comprehensive and effective outcome.
Digital Transformation research is fragmented, hindering holistic business strategy.
Current research on digital transformation is siloed across various business disciplines, preventing a comprehensive understanding and strategic integration.
Journal of Business Economics · 2019
Key Findings
- 01Digital transformation research is fragmented across various disciplines.
- 02Dominant research areas include finance, marketing, and innovation management.
- 03Areas like accounting, human resource management, and sustainability are under-represented in digital transformation research.
- 04A framework of nine main areas for digital transformation research was developed.
Application
Design takeaway
Integrate research from diverse business functions, not just the dominant ones, when designing digital transformation initiatives to ensure a more comprehensive and effective outcome.
How to apply
When embarking on a digital transformation design project, actively seek out and synthesize research and perspectives from less common areas like HR, accounting, and sustainability, in addition to the more established fields of marketing and finance.
Project actions
- 01When researching a topic, look beyond the most popular areas to find unique insights.
- 02Consider how different parts of a business (like finance, marketing, HR) are affected by a design change, not just one part.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Provides a systematic overview of a complex field.
- +Uses quantitative network analysis to identify research clusters and gaps.
Limitations
The study's categorization might be subjective, and the 'under-represented' areas could be due to a lack of research interest rather than a lack of importance.
Reliability & validity
Reliability could be improved by having multiple researchers categorize the literature. Validity is supported by the use of citation network analysis, a recognized method for mapping research landscapes.
Think critically
Given that certain areas of digital transformation research are under-represented, how might a design project proactively incorporate these overlooked perspectives to create more innovative and resilient solutions?
Design Principles
"Holistic integration of fragmented knowledge domains is crucial for effective innovation and strategy development."
Designers and strategists need to recognize the fragmented nature of digital transformation research to develop more integrated and effective solutions. Understanding these silos allows for the identification of under-researched areas and the potential for cross-disciplinary innovation.
What This Means for Your Design
Research on how businesses change with technology is all over the place, making it hard to see the big picture. Some areas like money and selling are studied a lot, but others like managing people or being eco-friendly aren't studied as much, which means we miss out on important connections.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use this study to justify the breadth of your research, explaining that digital transformation is a multi-faceted area with varying levels of research attention across disciplines.
- 2.Cite this paper when discussing the importance of a holistic approach to digital transformation in your design project.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
This research highlights the fragmented nature of digital transformation studies, with dominant streams in finance, marketing, and innovation management, while other critical areas such as accounting, human resource management, and sustainability remain under-represented. This fragmentation can impede a holistic business perspective, suggesting that design projects aiming for comprehensive digital transformation should actively seek to integrate insights from these less-explored domains to ensure a more robust and well-rounded strategy.
Source
Journal of Business Economics
Research streams on digital transformation from a holistic business perspective: a systematic literature review and citation network analysis
journal · 2019
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about digital transformation research is fragmented, hindering holistic business strategy?
- Integrate research from diverse business functions, not just the dominant ones, when designing digital transformation initiatives to ensure a more comprehensive and effective outcome. Evidence: Journal of Business Economics (2019).
- Why does "Digital Transformation research is fragmented, hindering holistic business strategy." matter for design?
- Designers and strategists need to recognize the fragmented nature of digital transformation research to develop more integrated and effective solutions. Understanding these silos allows for the identification of under-researched areas and the potential for cross-disciplinary innovation.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Integrate research from diverse business functions, not just the dominant ones, when designing digital transformation initiatives to ensure a more comprehensive and effective outcome.
- What were the main findings?
- Digital transformation research is fragmented across various disciplines.. Dominant research areas include finance, marketing, and innovation management.. Areas like accounting, human resource management, and sustainability are under-represented in digital transformation research.. A framework of nine main areas for digital transformation research was developed.
- What research method was used?
- Systematic literature review and citation network analysis..
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2019 journal from Journal of Business Economics.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When embarking on a digital transformation design project, actively seek out and synthesize research and perspectives from less common areas like HR, accounting, and sustainability, in addition to the more established fields of marketing and finance.
- What are the limitations?
- The study's findings are based on existing literature, and the identification of 'under-represented' areas is relative to the current research landscape.