Digital Transformation and Organizational Resilience: A Systematic Review of Evidence in Contemporary Organizations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31305/ijmds.v15n04.009Keywords:
Digital Transformation, Organizational Resilience, Dynamic Capabilities, Innovation Capability, Resilient Digital TransformationAbstract
Organizations increasingly operate in environments characterized by volatility, uncertainty, and rapid technological change, making organizational resilience a critical strategic concern. This systematic review examines the relationship between digital transformation and organizational resilience by synthesizing findings from recent empirical research. The evidence suggests that digital transformation can enhance an organization’s ability to withstand and respond to disruptions through mechanisms such as innovation capability and organizational learning. In addition, dynamic capabilities—including sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring—are found to play an important role in strengthening resilience. Digital transformation may also amplify the contribution of reconfiguring capabilities to organizational agility, enabling organizations to adapt more effectively to changing circumstances. Drawing on a systematic review of 77 peer-reviewed studies, the literature identifies a range of factors associated with resilient digital transformation (RDT), organized around three major dimensions: technology, organizational factors, and the external environment. Together, these dimensions create conditions that support both digital transformation and organizational resilience. Empirical evidence from Chinese A-share listed firms further demonstrates that digital transformation can significantly enhance organizational resilience, particularly by improving firms’ innovation capabilities and agility. Overall, the findings highlight the strategic value of digital transformation as a means of developing resilient organizations and offer useful implications for managers and policymakers seeking to integrate digital technologies into organizational resilience strategies.
References
[1] Zhang, J., Long, J., & von Schaewen, A. M. E. (2021). How does digital transformation improve organizational resilience? Findings from PLS-SEM and fsQCA. Sustainability, 13(20), 11487. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su132011487.
[2] Browder, R. E., Dwyer, S. M., & Koch, H. (2024). Upgrading adaptation: How digital transformation promotes organizational resilience. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 18(1), 128–164. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/sej.1483.
[3] Awad, J. A. R., & Martín-Rojas, R. (2024). Digital transformation influence on organisational resilience through organisational learning and innovation. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 13, 69. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-024-00405-4.
[4] Kwiotkowska, A. (2024). Creating organizational resilience through digital transformation and dynamic capabilities: Findings from fs/QCA analysis on the example of Polish CHP plants. Sustainability, 16(14), 6266.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su16146266
[5] Li, C., & Wang, Y. (2024). Digital transformation and enterprise resilience: Enabling or burdening? PLOS ONE, 19(7), e0305615. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0305615.
[6] Xu, Y., Xu, L., Shen, Y., & Fan, Z. (2024). Exploring the effect of digital transformation on firm resilience: Evidence from China. Journal of Asian Economics, 95, 101812. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asieco.2024.101812.
[7] Tang, M., Liu, Y., & Yang, H.-S. (2024). Organizational resilience in digital transformation: A stakeholder perspective. Journal of Xihua University (Philosophy & Social Sciences), 43(6), 74–87. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12189/j.issn.1672-8505.2024.06.008
[8] Verhoef, P. C., Broekhuizen, T., Bart, Y., Bhattacharya, A., Dong, J. Q., Fabian, N., & Haenlein, M. (2021). Digital transformation: A multidisciplinary reflection and research agenda. Journal of Business Research, 122, 889–901.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.09.022.
[9] Hanelt, A., Bohnsack, R., Marz, D., & Antunes Marante, C. (2021). A systematic review of the literature on digital transformation: Insights and implications for strategy and organizational change. Journal of Management Studies, 58, 1159–1197.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12639.
[10] Warner, K. S. R., & Wäger, M. (2019). Building dynamic capabilities for digital transformation: An ongoing process of strategic renewal. Long Range Planning, 52(3), 326–349. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2018.12.001
[11] Kraus, S., Durst, S., Ferreira, J. J., Veiga, P., Kailer, N., & Weinmann, A. (2022). Digital transformation in business and management research: An overview of the current status quo. International Journal of Information Management, 63, 102466.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2021.102466
[12] Nadkarni, S., & Prügl, R. (2021). Digital transformation: A review, synthesis and opportunities for future research. Management Review Quarterly, 71, 233–341.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-020-00185-7
[13] Kovynyov, I., Buerck, A., & Mikut, R. (2021). Design of transformation initiatives implementing organisational agility: An empirical study. SN Business & Economics, 1, 79. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43546-021-00073-6
