Assessing the State of Corporate Digital Transformation: Results and Implications From a Global Survey

Abstract

Digitalization has a significant impact on value-creating organizations of all sectors. New business models and processes are becoming established, the development of products and services is changing as well as the interaction with customers, partners and suppliers. As these changes create new requirements for companies, they need to reorient and adapt to them. To structure the topic of corporate digital transformation with its many individual elements, which can either be digitized and networked/integrated or create the conditions for the digital transformation of further elements, a reference framework has been developed that covers the essential value creation elements of a company in the context of digital transformation. Based on this framework, a self-assessment tool (‘Digital Transformation Assessment (DTA)’) was developed to carry out a survey on the current status of corporate digital transformation globally. This contribution outlines the key analysis results, through an applied and observational research, within the timeframe from 2020 to 2023, based on a quanti-qualitative analysis of answers from over 880 companies worldwide. The paper contributes to the literature on digital transformation by verifying through the analysis of the results that effective digital transformation requires not only investments in technology, but also a holistic approach that encompasses organizational, cultural, and strategic changes. Therefore, the role of leaders and the creation of a digital transformation-oriented corporate culture are keys to driving success in this process.