Digital transformation in SMEs: a person-centric view on the path to sustainability
Maddalen Alkorta, Aitziber Elola, Mari Jose ArangurenPurpose
Despite the growing challenges related to digital transformation and sustainability, literature offers limited solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for managing these issues concurrently. To bridge this gap, this paper draws on the dynamic capabilities view to explore how a person-centric view contributes to addressing digital transformation and sustainability in SMEs.
Design/methodology/approach
Case studies were conducted on three SMEs in the Basque manufacturing industry. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, followed by a thematic analysis.
Findings
Findings indicate that SMEs effectively adopting a person-centric view on their digital transformation are more successful in achieving sustainability.
Originality/value
This study offers a novel contribution to the literature on the person-centric view on digital transformation for sustainability. It provides empirical evidence for proposing a conceptual framework that identifies and concedes different prominence to the critical dynamic capabilities driving digital transformation, considers the three dimensions of sustainability and recognises a cyclical feedback loop between social sustainability and dynamic capabilities.