Towards a Collaborative Framework for the Implementation of Digital Transformation Processes in Higher Education Institutions: A Comparative Analysis

The recent saying is that COVID-19 pandemic had the most exerted influence in the world after the Second World War. Developing countries, such as Sri Lanka, are no exception. The pandemic brought various digital initiatives to cope with limitations that lead to a much-accelerated digital transformation. The retail sector continued to undergo digital transformation in Sri Lanka with a particular focus on advancing the customer experience by digitally creating, delivering, and capturing value. We interviewed top management in various areas in the retail industry in Sri Lanka and followed a hybrid research methodology for analysis combining the grounded theory and the framework-based approach. We described the gap between the focus of the literature’s digital maturity models in the past 10 years and the top management’s needs throughout the accelerated digital transformation during the pandemic as follows: the difference in the percentage of the expression of common dimensions in digital transformation and maturity models and the percentage of the expression of dimensions in the managers’ interviews. Our findings call for the attention of academic research to dedicate more attention to further integrate more dimensions related to technology, cloud and data, digital marketing, and products into the digital transformation and maturity models.

Digital Accessibility Maturity Models are internationally proven structured frameworks supporting organizations in assessing, improving, and maintaining digital accessibility of their digital products, services, and environments. These models help organizations assess their current state of digital accessibility, identify gaps, and create a roadmap for progress by defining different levels of accessibility maturity. The models usually consist of several stages, each representing a different degree of organizational maturity in terms of the practices applied to ensure the accessibility of the work environment for people with disabilities. Background and aim: This paper aims to compare digital accessibility maturity models and to propose a digital maturity evaluation process; Scope: research limitations are related to the practical implementations of the studied models; Methods: a digital maturity evaluation process is proposed, which is partially tested with a tool for automated testing; Results: Google Lighthouse tools is used to collect data from human resource management agencies’ websites and to analyze their performance, accessibility, SEO; Conclusions: digital maturity models need to be applied in the workplace to ensure diversity and inclusivity of the organizations. Originality: it focuses on the benefits of examining digital accessibility in the workplace. Practical implications: the practical applicability of the proposed method is related to its implication in testing aspects of accessibility maturity in the companies.

PurposeDigital transformation is crucial for achieving high-quality development in the construction industry. Assessing the industry's digital maturity is an urgent necessity. The Digital Transformation Maturity Model is a potential tool to systematically evaluate the digital maturity levels of various industries. However, most existing models predominantly focus on sectors such as the Internet and manufacturing, leaving the construction industry comparatively underrepresented. This study aims to address this gap by developing a maturity model tailored specifically for digital transformation within the construction industry.Design/methodology/approachThis study leverages the Capability Maturity Theory and integrates the unique characteristics of the construction industry to construct a comprehensive maturity model for digital transformation. The model comprises five critical dimensions: industry environment, strategy and organization, digital infrastructure, business process and management digitization, and digital performance. These dimensions encompass a total of 25 assessment indexes. To validate the model's feasibility and effectiveness, a digital transformation maturity assessment was conducted within China's construction industry.FindingsThe results of the maturity assessment within the Chinese construction industry reveal that it currently operates at the third level of digital maturity (defined level). The industry's maturity score stands at 2.329 out of 5. This outcome indicates that the developed model is accurate and reliable in assessing the level of digital transformation maturity within the construction industry.Originality/valueThis paper contributes both practical and theoretical insights to the field of digital transformation within the construction industry. By creating a tailored maturity model, it addresses a significant gap in existing research and offers a valuable tool for assessing and advancing digital maturity levels within this industry.

Focusing on businesses, digital transformation has a significant impact on various sectors. It enables innovation practices, new or improved designs and processes, and new business models, restructuring the business value chain. Digital transformation is not just about development through adoption of new technologies. Even though organisations differ regarding their digital transformation process, there is a need for digital maturity models in order to assess the status quo of their digital transformation. Therefore, there is a lack of understanding on which are the critical elements that organisations need to take into consideration for their digital transformation journey. The purpose of this paper is to propose both a scientific and practical framework for designing, developing, and implementing a digital transformation journey. Many different digital maturity models have been examined and analysed implementing a three-phase literature review methodology. Based on the prior literature of digital transformation maturity models, a conceptual framework is proposed and tested with a case study. As a result, the synthesized framework could serve as a blueprint of strategic decision-making in digital transformation. This research spreads light on the field of digital transformation by expanding the role of digital maturity models. It is stated that more research needs to be done aiming to gain a deeper understanding of this topic.

Several universities are accelerating their tempo to navigate the rapidly changing environment towards the digital age. Previous literature has been interested in exploring the continuous trend of digital transformation, along with digital maturity models. However, there is still inconsiderable guidance for practitioners regarding the concrete frameworks and concepts for planning with the aim of accomplishing digital maturity. This study examines the reality of digital transformation maturity in Egyptian universities through the development of a digital maturity model based on the Logical Framework Approach (LFA) or goal-oriented project planning. This study has a double contribution, as follows: it provides university practitioners with a conceptual tool to analyze their challenges in the new landscape of digital transformation and provides valuable insights for researchers regarding the new emerging phenomena of digital maturity at the national level, in general, and universities, in particular. The results of the research indicate that the proposed digital maturity model includes seven dimensions, they are as follows: leadership, planning and management, quality assurance, scientific research, digital teaching and learning, community service, equipment and technological infrastructure, and technological culture. Universities can use the Developed Measurement Model for digital maturity to measure their current situation and to guide their strategies along the transition from digital transformation to digital maturity.

The goal of this paper is to present contemporary developments in the field of digital maturity models. By conducting a systematic literature review finally 24 relevant studies including 22 different models were identified and various characteristics of different digital maturity models were extracted. Focus was placed on the dimensions used to measure digital maturity in different model approaches. Special light was shed on organizational culture and to what extent it is represented in the models. Among other things, the findings indicate, that dimensions applied in various models can be very different and that just a few models incorporate transformational in addition to digital capabilities. In particular, organizational culture as a dedicated dimension of digital maturity is represented already in a few models, which indicates the growing importance of culture as an enabler of digital transformation efforts. Beside a comprehensive overview of the most widely used dimensions measuring digital maturity, a synthesis of the most frequently addressed cultural attributes is presented in this paper as well. This review finally reveals that most of the existing models give an incomplete picture of digital maturity, that cultural attributes reflecting a digital culture are not integrated systematically, and that digital maturity models specific to the domain of services are clearly under-represented. It also clearly demonstrates that research about digital transformation maturity as a holistic concept is scarce and needs more attention by research in the future.

Aim/purpose – In line with the general trend of digitalization and changing customers’ needs and preferences, insurance companies have increasingly applied digital technology to their business. This digital transformation should enhance insurance companies’ efficiency and provide further advantages. Therefore, this study’s main aim is to analyze the current relationship between the digital maturity of Croatian non-life insurers and their efficiency. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical analysis is based on the data collected via an online survey on a sample of Croatian non-life insurers and from the insurance companies’ financial statements. The data was analyzed using the Digital Maturity Model 5.0 by Forrester Research, Inc., Data Envelopment Analysis, and correlation analysis. Findings – The surveyed Croatian non-life insurance companies have achieved the sec- ond level of a four-level digital maturity scale, on average. Although the digital trans- formation of insurance companies is a promising efficiency driver, the current level of digital maturity of Croatian non-life insurance companies is not positively related to their efficiency. Research implications/limitations – The research has implications for insurance com- panies regarding their path of digital transformation, as well as for the regulators estab- lishing an adequate regulatory framework to encourage the digital development of insurance companies. The objective limits of the research refer to the means of mea- suring digital maturity and the sample size. The research is limited to the Croatian insur- ance market. Originality/value/contribution – Analysis of the efficiency of insurance companies from the information technology perspective is rare in the academic literature, and this issue has not been investigated using a sample of Croatian insurers. The research con- tributes to advancing knowledge on the relationship between digital maturity and insur- ance companies’ efficiency.1 Keywords: digital transformation and maturity, efficiency, Croatian non-life insurance companies. JEL Classification: G22, C67, D22

In recent years, digital transformation has become one of the most popular trends for enterprises worldwide. The global trend of digital technologies and the COVID-19 pandemic have made the growth speed of digital transformation steadier than ever. In this condition, practitioners and academic researchers believe that the Digital Maturity Model is one of the most effective weapons in helping managers and the workforce manage to transform their businesses digitally. However, the Digital Maturity Model (DMM) is a type of maturity model (MM) that is relatively new in model development and digital maturity assessment methodologies, especially when integrated into an extensive digital transformation process. With this paper, the authors aim to conduct a comprehensive review to clarify the current state of the DMM field, including its essential characteristics, popular elements belonging to its structures, the number of methods, and techniques used in developing and applying them. In addition, these papers identify significant areas of research underway. Moreover, the authors raise some challenges for the field in the capture of results by reviewing them: i) the need to standardize its component names; ii) a contextualized but low-cost DMM for SMEs to use in their business; iii) the need for positioning DMM applied processes in a master digital transformation process and in a dynamics context that help applications of DMM more efficient. The authors proposed a solution for the third challenge through a conceptual model integrating DMM into a continuous digital transformation process. Keywords: Digital Transformation; Digital Maturity Model; Continuous Transformation Process; Change Management.

In the face of the challenges of the Digital Age and the outbreak of the pandemic COVID-19 which have changed higher education institutions remarkably, universities are urgently required to speed up their digitalization initiatives and cope up with the global digital developments to survive. For the successful implementation of digital transformation, however, data governance should be considered. Despite the extensive literature on data governance and digital transformation, there is no focus on the issue in the Saudi Higher Education institutions. In the face of this, the current study investigates data governance policies and practices in the Saudi Universities. This study is built on a case study design. Nine universities in Saudi Arabia were selected for the purpose of the study. These include public, community, and private universities that make up the Higher Education system in Saudi Arabia. For data collection purposes, three methods were selected. These were the survey, focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. The findings of this study indicate that data governance is an effective tool in the implementation of digital transformation processes in higher education institutions and thus should be embedded into strategies of the universities for using digital technologies in appropriate manners. Good data governance practices are required for smooth and effective digital transformation. Universities are required to create an effective functional team for the data governance tasks, develop an internal audit of data governance, follow-up the regulatory compliance procedures, define the priorities of data governance activities, provide frequent data governance training for employees and faculty members, set enforcement and follow-up standards, and conduct frequent assessments of data governance plans and policies. Although the study is limited to the Saudi universities, results and implications of this study can be a useful reference to choose effective data governance practices that can be successfully adopted and implemented to effectively manage critical information and use it to transform their day-to-day operations.

En el contexto de la transformación digital y la integración dinámica de tecnologías, los modelos de negocio de las organizaciones se optimizan y mejoran. Este proceso requiere la evaluación de la madurez digital de una organización para medir el alcance de su transformación empresarial digital, así como la etapa y el nivel de implementación de la tecnología dentro de la empresa. El objetivo de este artículo es construir un modelo de madurez digital que facilite la evaluación del estado de implementación de las tecnologías de la Industria 4.0 en el sector logístico internacional. Esta evaluación se realizará a través de una evaluación cuantitativa de la incorporación de diversos elementos de Industria 4.0 en las operaciones logísticas. Metodología. El presente estudio ha ideado un modelo pragmático para evaluar la madurez digital del sector logístico, basándose en dos criterios principales: 1) las etapas (grados, niveles) de madurez (es decir, ignorar, definir, adoptar, gestionar, integrar) como se propone por Facchini et al. (2020); y 2) los diversos tipos de tecnologías implementadas dentro del sector logístico. Resultados. Se ha realizado una estimación del modelo de madurez digital dentro del sector logístico para delinear el nivel de implementación de diversas tecnologías de la Industria 4.0. Los resultados del modelo de madurez ilustran que el sector de la logística internacional se encuentra actualmente en las primeras etapas de integración de las tecnologías de la Industria 4.0, con una utilización limitada de soluciones digitales, salvo excepciones notables como el análisis de big data. Entre los componentes que componen el modelo de madurez, el análisis de big data emerge como el elemento más integrado, facilitando la recopilación, el procesamiento y la evaluación de datos por parte de las empresas. La transición de la etapa inicial a la posterior de la madurez del negocio digital se demuestra con la incorporación de las tecnologías Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Networking Management Solutions y Big data, específicamente en lo que respecta a la digitalización de la cartera de productos de la compañía, marcando la segunda etapa de madurez digital. La importancia práctica de esta investigación radica en la evaluación del modelo de madurez digital dentro del sector logístico internacional, que delinea el estado de implementación de varias tecnologías de la Industria 4.0.

Digital health maturity models allow healthcare organizations to evaluate digital health capability and to develop roadmaps for improving patient care through technology. There are many models available commercially for healthcare providers to use to assess their digital health maturity. Currently, there are limited evidence-based methods to assess the quality, utility, and efficacy of maturity models to select the most appropriate model for the given context. To develop a framework to assess digital maturity models and facilitate recommendations for digital maturity model selection. A systematic, consultative, and iterative process was used. Literature analyses and a stakeholder needs analysis (n = 23) was conducted to develop content and design considerations. These considerations were incorporated into the initial version of the framework developed by researchers in a design workshop. External stakeholder review (n = 20) and improvements strengthened and finalized the framework. The criteria of the framework include assessment of healthcare context, feasibility, integrity, completeness and actionability. Users can compare model performance in order to select the most appropriate model for their context. The framework provides healthcare stakeholders with a consistent and objective methodology to compare digital health maturity models, informing approaches to choosing a suitable model. This is a critical step as healthcare evolves towards a digital health system focused on improving the quality of care, reducing costs and improving the provider and consumer experience.

Technological innovation and digitalization are transforming industries and organizations worldwide. Digital Maturity Models often serve as a reference point to monitor the digitalization progression through prescribed stages. Yet, little is still understood about (i) how a digital maturity model should be designed and deployed in a specific industry setting and (ii) the association between digital maturity and technology adoption. Building on extant literature and extensive interviews with industry experts, we first develop a digital maturity model in the context of the conformity assessment industry (a globally regulated industry responsible for assessing compliance of organizations with standards and regulations). Second, we implement the model and conduct a survey across 1447 organizations in 15 countries. Our findings reveal that the digital transformation journey of the industry progresses along five stages of maturity (with most organizations in the early/intermediate stages of digital maturity) with distinctive patterns of technical and managerial practices across all stages. Adoption of technologies is (unsurprisingly) associated with higher digital maturity levels - albeit that association does not hold for complex technologies (such as Blockchain) and is impacted by country specifics (measured by the Digital Skills Gap Index). Our study provides insights into digital maturity and the adoption of technologies in an institutional environment that is highly regulated and conservative, in which high integrity of service provision is primary, and digitalization is a secondary focus of organizations.

Objectives: This research aims to assess the level of digital maturity of the company CI IBLU S.A.S., in order to effectively manage its digital transformation (DT). Theoretical framework: It is based on the "Digital Maturity Model" by Berghaus and Back (2016), which identifies key dimensions such as customer experience, innovation and digitisation of processes, providing a framework to assess the digital maturity of organisations. Method: A quantitative approach was adopted using a case study. A survey was administered to 108 employees of CI IBLU S.A.S., representing 7% of the total population of 480 employees, with a margin of error of 7% and a confidence level of 90%. Results and discussion: The results indicate that CI IBLU S.A.S. is at level 4 of the model, "elaborated and user-centred processes", reflecting a strong focus on innovation and personalisation of the customer experience. The discussion suggests that although the company has advanced in its digital maturity, it needs to address specific areas to optimise its TD, such as active user engagement and the definition of clear objectives. Conclusions: The research concludes that the digital maturity model is a valuable tool to guide CI IBLU S.A.S. in its digital transformation process, highlighting the need for a user-centric approach. Originality/value: The research provides a detailed and contextualised analysis of the digital maturity model in a specific company, providing insights that can be replicated in other organisations with similar digital transformation challenges.

This chapter aims to present digital maturity models (DMM) and their implementation in assessing the level of digital transformation and its further development in supply chains. Particular attention has been focused on digital maturity; therefore, the DMM in the dimension of organisation and processes (DMM-OP) developed by the author is discussed. First, the idea of using maturity models is discussed, and the most important guidelines to consider when designing a new tool are indicated. The most important maturity models that have become models for the further development of these tools are also presented. Then, the DMMs, which are the central area of interest in this chapter, are characterised in detail. In particular, the most frequently appearing assessment areas related to digital transformation are distinguished. Based on the research, model DMM-OP was developed. The framework of this model was characterised in detail, along with the rules for the assessment. Then, the maturity assessment results conducted in two companies in the selected supply chain using the developed model are presented. The DMM-OP solution was used to conduct an individual assessment of each company, but it can also be used as a basis for developing road maps for both business partners.

Amidst nowadays digital-driven environment, achieving digital maturity has become the focal point of contemporary organisations more than ever before. Therefore, Digital Maturity Models (DMMs) have been subject to various studies. These instruments are means meant to assess the state of an organisation’s Digital Transformation (DT). Although (1) higher digital maturity is frequently related to significant competitive advantage and (2) despite the fact that DMMs being the main instrument used to describe it, the role of DMMs in putting across the complex interplay between (1) and (2) seems to be underexplored. Thus, this study aims to shed light on this gap via the examination of the structure and efficacy of DMMs with a special emphasis on how these models help in gaining knowledge and insights pertaining to competitive advantage. Findings suggest that DMMs do constitute an invaluable basis for digital transformation and progression towards digital maturity; nevertheless, they fall short in providing organisations with actionable plans to better leverage their capabilities so as to gain a market edge. To bridge this gap, the authors offer an initial practice-oriented framework that stresses the role of digital maturity practices in converting digital capabilities into competitive differentiators.