Call for Papers
Guest Editors:
Prof. Dr. Daniel Schallmo
Professor for Digital Transformation & Entrepreneurship
University of Applied Sciences Neu-Ulm, Germany
daniel.schallmo@hnu.de
Prof. Dr. Joe Tidd
Professor for Technology & Innovation Management
University of Sussex, U.K.
j.tidd@sussex.ac.uk
Christopher A. Williams, M.A., MBA
Senior Researcher in Innovation Management & Information Systems
Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria
chrs.a.williams@gmail.com
Prof. Dr. Barbara Krumay
Professor for Business Informatics
Johannes Kepler University Linz
barbara.krumay@jku.at
Purpose
This special issue calls for submissions of empirical and conceptual papers and studies that tackle the challenges and opportunities presented by holistic digitalization. We seek contributions that involve case studies, approaches, and tools offering insights for digital maturity, digital strategy, digital transformation, and digital implementation.
Background
In the new global, digital economy, a holistic view of digitalization has become central for all non-profit and for-profit institutions (Tidd, 2019; Schallmo & Tidd, 2021). Recent developments in digital initiatives (Niemand et al., 2020) have heightened the need to investigate holistic digitalization. The terms ‘digital transformation’ and ‘strategy-oriented digitalization’ contain several overlapping features. However, it has been argued that certain digitalization-level initiatives (e.g., digital process model) may also exhibit strategy-oriented perspectives (Caputo et al., 2021). In addition, for companies, the idea of digital transformation might be considered too abstract, similar to the term ‘Industry 4.0’. A holistic view of digitalization research provides various, concrete possibilities for companies striving for concrete best practices that can be applied in real-life business environments. Digitalization initiatives, especially in digital maturity, strategy, transformation, and implementation, provide a path for companies’ optimization and development. Ultimately, holistic digitalization opens new networking possibilities and enables cooperation among different actors, who, for example, exchange data and subsequently initiate processes (Nikmehr et al., 2021). The key questions are what the digital drivers (Weill & Woerner, 2015) towards holistic digitalization are and how these digitalization drivers differ among countries, industries, company size.
The evaluation of a company’s digital maturity is considered one of the first steps towards sustainable digital growth. One of the challenges involved in current digital maturity models is their unstructured nature (van Hillegersberg, 2019). Another barrier is that current models do not fit specific non-profit and for-profit institutions’ needs (Leyh et al., 2017). The key questions are how future digital maturity models can exhibit a more structured nature and what specific companies’ needs must be considered when developing future digital mature models.
The development of a digital strategy is just as integral to a company’s activities as is the digital transformation of business models. Although many companies have recognised the need for a digital strategy (Bharadwaj, 2013; Peppard & Ward, 2016), developing that strategy in a structured way and integrating individual digitization efforts into a strategic concept still presents challenges (Butschan et al., 2019; Dutta & Sarma, 2020).
The digital transformation of business models concerns individual business model elements, but questions remain on how digitally transforming one element of the business model affects the other elements (Latilla et al., 2020; Schallmo, Williams, & Boardman, 2017). The key questions are how digital strategies can be developed in a more structured manner and what the effects are on a revised digital business model.
Digital implementation involves enacting a digital strategy and supports the digital transformation of one business model/several business models of companies (Schallmo, Williams, & Lohse, 2019). Due to the complexity nature of empirically investigating digital implementation, future research should use a mixed method or qualitative approach to properly investigate the phenomena of implementing digital initiatives (Ivančić, Vukšić, & Spremić, 2019). The following areas are relevant to digital implementation: organisation, technical implementation, skills, and culture. The key question is how digital implementation, and its essential areas can be evaluated empirically using a mixed methods approach.
Aims and scope
This special issue presents current academic research and practical findings pertinent to the field of holistic digitalization. Topics appropriate and related to holistic digitalization include the role of digitalization within corporations; the processes and instruments involved in digitalization; and digitalization within several industries, ecosystems, and networks. Topics also include the quantitative and qualitative evaluation of digitalization.
Suggested topics for this special issue
This special issue addresses such questions as, ‘What are the drivers for digitalization?’ ‘How do companies practice digitalization?’ ‘How do companies evaluate digitalization initiatives?’ ‘How do companies integrate digitalization in their corporation?’ ‘How do companies manage digitalization?’ and ‘How do companies build ecosystems and networks?’
The potential questions are not limited to the aforementioned formulations but can be expanded to address the following subtopics:
Digital Drivers:
- What are internal and external drivers of digitalization?
- Are there differences among countries, industries, and companies of different sizes?
- How can digital maturity be evaluated rigorously?
- How do a company’s digital maturity needs differ among countries, industries, company size?
- How can a digital strategy be developed with a systematic approach?
- What are the appropriate tools for digital strategies?
- What case studies exist for digital strategy?
- What is the effect of a digital strategy, and how can it be measured?
- What are the relevant ecosystems and networks?
- How can digital transformation be practiced?
- What are the differences among digital transformations, e.g., among countries, industries, and companies of various sizes?
- What are the appropriate tools for digital transformation?
- What case studies exist for digital transformation?
- What is the effect of a digital transformation, and how can it be measured?
- What are the factors of success for a digital transformation?
- What is included in digital implementation?
- How should digital implementation be conducted on an organizational level, e.g., definition of structures and responsibilities, establishment of departments, and the definition of processes?
- How should digital implementation be conducted on the technological level, e.g., use of sensors, creation of databases, networking of components?
- How should the digital implementation be conducted on the capability level, e.g., IT know-how (hardware, software application/development, etc.), use of collaboration tools, development of leadership, and collaboration skills, acquisition of methods?
- How should the digital implementation be conducted on a cultural level, e.g., cultural anchoring in the company, sensitisation of employees?
- What case studies exist for digital implementation?
- What is the effect of a digital implementation, and how can it be measured?
- What are the factors of success for digital implementation?
Articles submitted for publication consideration in the special issue are judged based on their potential contribution to the advancement of the science and/or practice of holistic digitalization. For an article to be published in the special issue, it should meet the following criteria:
- Focus on a substantive issue in the domain of digitalization
- Offer new insights that advance the field
- Be literature-based and academic
- Demonstrate conceptual rigor
- Provide evidence of methodological rigor, if an empirical piece.
Log in or register, and go to ‘Submit New Manuscript’. Under ‘Select Article Type’, please choose ‘Special Issue Paper’. Once you have uploaded your paper and reached the ‘Section/Category’ page, please select ‘Special Issue’ > ‘A Holistic Perspective on Digitalization: Strategy, Transformation, and Implementation’.
Submitted papers must not have been previously published or be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere.
All papers will be refereed by an international Special Issue Editorial Board through a double-blind peer-review process.
A guide for authors, sample copies, and other relevant information are available at https://www.worldscientific.com/page/ijim/submission-guidelines.
In addition, select articles will be invited for inclusion in a book published by World Scientific.
Important Dates
- Submission of manuscripts: November 15, 2021
- Notification to authors: January 5, 2025
- Revisions due: February 15, 2022
- Second-round decisions: May 15, 2022
- Revisions due: July 1, 2022
- Final editorial decision: August 1, 2022
- Journal publication: October 2022
- Bharadwaj, A, O El Sawy, P Pavlou and N Venkatraman (2013). Digital business strategy: Toward a next generation of insights. MIS Quarterly, 37, 471–482.
- Butschan, J, S Heidenreich, B Weber and T Kraemer (2019). Tackling Hurdles to Digital Transformation — The Role of Competencies for Successful Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) Implementation. International Journal of Innovation Management, 23(4), 1–34.
- Caputo, A, S Pizzi, M Pellegrini and M Dabić (2021). Digitalization and business models: Where are we going? A science map of the field. Journal of Business Research, 123(C), 489–501.
- Dutta, D, M Sarma (2020). Adoption of Digital Innovation — Formulating Adopter Categories and Levels of Adoption in a Digital Sphere in an Emerging Economy. International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management, 17(08), 2050059.
- Ivančić, L, V Vukšić and M Spremić (2019). Mastering the digital transformation process: business practices and lessons learned. Technology Innovation Management Review, 9(2), 36–50.
- Latilla, V, A Urbinati, A Cavallo, S Franzò and A Ghezzi (2020). Organizational re-design for business model innovation while exploiting digital technologies: a single case study of an energy company. International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management, 2040002.
- Leyh, C, T Schäffer, K Bley and S Forstenhäusler (2017). Assessing the IT and Software Landscapes of Industry 4.0-Enterprises: The Maturity Model SIMMI 4.0. In: Ziemba E. (ed.), Information Technology for Management: New Ideas and Real Solutions, New York: Springer International Publishing, 103–119.
- Niemand, T, J Rigtering, A Kallmünzer, S Kraus and A Maalaoui (2020). Digitalization in the financial industry: A contingency approach of entrepreneurial orientation and strategic vision on digitalization. European Management Journal.
- Nikmehr, B, M Hosseini, I Martek, E Zavadskas and J Antucheviciene (2021). Digitalization as a Strategic Means of Achieving Sustainable Efficiencies in Construction Management: A Critical Review. Sustainability, 13(9), 5040, 1–12.
- Peppard, J, and J Ward (2016). The Strategic Management of Information Systems: Building a Digital Strategy. New York: Wiley.
- Schallmo, D, C Williams and J Lohse (2019). Digital Strategy – Integrated Approach and Generic Options. International Journal of Innovation Management, 23(8).
- Schallmo, D, C Williams and L Boardman (2017). Digital Transformation of Business Models. International Journal of Innovation Management, 21(8).
- Schallmo, D, J Tidd (2021). Digitalization: Approaches, Case Studies, and Tools for Strategy, Transformation and Implementation. Series on Management for Professionals, Springer.
- Tidd, J (2019). Digital Disruptive Innovation. Series on Technology Management, 36, World Scientific.
- van Hillegersberg, J (2019). The Need for a Maturity Model for Maturity Modeling. In: Bergener, K, M Räckers and A Stein (eds.), The Art of Structuring: Bridging the Gap Between Information Systems Research and Practice, New York: Springer International Publishing, 145–151.
- Weill, P and S Woerner (2015). Thriving in an Increasingly Digital Ecosystem. MIT Sloan Management Review, 56(4), 27–34.