Digital transformation in Brazilian industry: bridging theory and practice

Paper aims: This paper aims to evaluate the digitalization scenario of Brazilian industry, as well as to propose a practical approach to its digital transformation. Originality: No comparison is available that aims to understand the differences and gaps between theoretical research and the reality of digital transformation in Brazilian industries. Research method: Based on three steps, namely: review and bibliographic analysis to identify the main aspects of digital transformation; content analysis of national reports to define the state of practice; comparison between the results of theory and practice. Main findings: The results demonstrate an alignment between the aspects found in the scientific literature and the reports analyzed. The pillars of digital transformation are widely discussed in industrial reality. However, implementation gaps (and related opportunities) difficult the digital transformation of the Brazilian industry. Implications for theory and practice: This paper introduces a proposition that unites theoretical aspects in a model that may be applied to enable digital transformation in the industry.