Continuous Improvement and Organizational Resilience: The Role of Digital Maturity in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Raffaella Montera (), Leul Girma Haylemariam and Nicola Cucari
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Raffaella Montera: Pegaso University
Leul Girma Haylemariam: Sapienza University of Rome
Nicola Cucari: Sapienza University of Rome

Chapter Chapter 40 in Advanced Perspectives and Trends in Digital Transformation of Firms, Networks, and Society, 2025, pp 487-501 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This chapter aims to explore the relationship between continuous improvement (CI), organizational resilience (OR), and the moderating influence of digital maturity (DM) within SMEs by analyzing if and to what extent SMEs’ DM contributes to continuous improvement to recover from disruptions. A moderated hierarchical regression is adopted to capture evidence from 133 Italian SMEs belonging to the textile industry. Findings reveal that people and strategy positively affect the reactive OR with the moderation of the digital intensity by paving the way for operational excellence. Conversely, culture and top management play a crucial role in the proactive resilience of SMEs with the moderation of transformation management intensity by creating the ideal conditions for organizational excellence. The study identifies new critical success factors (CSFs) that directly and indirectly influence the company’s ability to face the crises. Moreover, CI and DM are conceptualized as organizational capabilities that not only constitute resilience but also serve as prerequisites for its cultivation. Thus, resilience can be perceived as a meta-capability, herein deconstructed into its constituent elements having a cognitive and behavioral nature.

Keywords: Continuous improvement; Organizational resilience; Digital maturity; SMEs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:prbchp:978-3-031-80692-6_40

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-80692-6_40

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