Digital organisational readiness: experiences from manufacturing companies
Journal article, 2021

Purpose: This research aims to identify and organise the conditions of organisational readiness for digital transformation. Design/methodology/approach: This qualitative study comprises three case studies within manufacturing companies from different sizes and industries located in Sweden. Plant visits and in-depth interviews bring to light companies' experiences with initial steps towards digital transformation. A set of conditions for digital organisational readiness was translated into a questionnaire and tested with one of the studied companies. Findings: This paper organises and tests digital organisational readiness conditions to support companies' initial steps on digital transformation. The results are put in perspective of established change management theory and previous studies about digital transformation. The findings will conclude in a questionnaire to support dialogue and digital organisational readiness assessments. Research limitations/implications: Additional conditions for the initial phase of digital transformation could possibly be found if more cases had been included in the study. Practical implications: The article identifies a set of conditions translated into a questionnaire that should be used as a dialogue tool to create strategic alignment and support companies in their initial discussions. If this process can be faster and more efficient, the company can achieve a competitive advantage against competitors. Originality/value: This research's relevance relies on the fact that companies are advancing in adopting digital technologies without being ready from an organisational perspective. This gap creates barriers for companies' digital maturing processes, stopping them from having full access to digital technologies' benefits.

manufacturing

Industry 4.0

managerial practices

Organisational change

Author

Carla Gonçalves Machado

Chalmers, Technology Management and Economics, Supply and Operations Management

Jönköping University

Mats Winroth

Chalmers, Technology Management and Economics

Peter Almström

Chalmers, Technology Management and Economics, Supply and Operations Management

Anna Ericson Öberg

Volvo Group

Martin Kurdve

RISE Research Institutes of Sweden

Chalmers, Technology Management and Economics, Supply and Operations Management

Sultan Y. Almashalah

Student at Chalmers

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management

1741-038X (ISSN)

Vol. 32 9 167-182

SMART PM - Sustainable Manufacturing by Automated Real-Time Performance Management

VINNOVA (2018-01583), 2018-04-20 -- 2020-12-20.

Subject Categories

Production Engineering, Human Work Science and Ergonomics

Business Administration

Areas of Advance

Production

DOI

10.1108/JMTM-05-2019-0188

More information

Latest update

6/8/2021 2