Digital transformation of small and medium enterprises: a systematic literature review and an integrative framework

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this article is two-fold. First it proposes an integrative approach based on reporting cross-disciplinary and complementary literature on effects of digital transformation on SMEs. Second, it identifies the salient managerial dimensions of building a digital transformation strategy at the organizational level for SMEs. For that purpose, we undertook a systematic review of the literature. Our descriptive analysis highlights diverse but diffuse streams of academic literature dealing with the implications of digitization in terms of managerial challenges, with a predominance of “information systems and knowledge management” and “strategic” perspectives. In the content analysis, we identify an integrative framework of three managerial dimensions that should be viewed interdependently to succeed digital transformation in SMEs and thus should drive strategic change in a transformational context: (1) Rethinking digital infrastructures and processes and digital manager involvement, (2) Implementing new organizational and managerial mechanisms and (3) Identifying the responsibility of senior management in orchestrating change. Finally, the article outlines avenues for future research and underscores the need for a cross-disciplinary approach to support SMEs digital transformation.