Digital transformation requires digital resource primacy: Clarification and future research directions

Abstract

Responding to recent calls, this essay offers a commentary on the framing and definition of organizational digital transformation. We focus on the unique ontology of digital transformation and delineate it from neighboring concepts. Our contention is that, despite its volume, current research remains unclear about how the digital transformation of organizations differs from their IT-enabled transformation. We advocate definitional precision to foster knowledge accumulation and to enable scholars to pursue important research questions that are unique to digital transformation.

Our perspective, grounded in the notion of digital resources, defines digital transformation as the metamorphosis of an IT-enabled organization into a digital organization – one with a specific digital architecture and design principles. A key departure from previous conceptualization is that we characterize digital transformation as a change in digital technology architecture rather than a change from digital technology use. Our paper achieves the following: describes the constructs underpinning this formulation, digital resources and digital organization; justifies their use; and describes what research directions the new perspective promotes. With sound definitions of key constructs, Information Systems scholars have the unprecedented opportunity to lead the way in digital “x” research, making our discipline the reference point for the burgeoning “digital research” literature in related business fields.