Why do so many digital transformations fail? A bibliometric analysis and future research agenda

Samson Oludapo, Noel Carroll and Markus Helfert

Journal of Business Research, 2024, vol. 174, issue C

Abstract: Over the past decade, there has been a surge of publications focusing on digital transformation (DT). Yet, while the majority of current research reports on DT implementation, we continue to learn about the significant risk posed by high failure rates in these transformation efforts. This raises a crucial research question: “Why do so many digital transformations fail?” We conducted a bibliometric analysis to examine this question, identifying the key themes related to the failure of DT. Using thematic mapping, we scrutinise the literature to delve into the main causes behind the limited advancements in comprehending DT failure and the absence of both conceptual and empirical clarity on the new phenomena of DT. Our findings indicate a widespread tendency to categorise the DT ecosystem using terms like ‘technology’, ‘information system’, and ‘management’, among others. However, this approach neglects an in-depth examination of the specific and novel aspects of DT that have contributed to its failures. Additionally, we propose key recommendations for shaping future research agendas in this domain.

Keywords: Digital Transformation; Failure; Bibliometrics Analysis; Organisation Transformation; Information System; People Transformation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296324000328
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:174:y:2024:i:c:s0148296324000328

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114528

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Business Research is currently edited by A. G. Woodside

More articles in Journal of Business Research from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().