Technological Forecasting and Social Change
https://www.journals.elsevier.com/technological-forecasting-and-social-change/call-for-papers/call-for-papers-digitalization-and-agility
Call for Papers:
Digitalization and agility:
Opening up the black box on digitalization and agility: key
drivers and main outcomes
Background and motivation
Agility has emerged as a key critical business success factor for
companies that strive to remain competitive and innovative (Teece
et al., 2016). Agility is even more vital with the emergence of
disruptive digital technologies (Martínez-Climent et al., 2019;
Trost, 2019) and in the so-called “VUCA” world[1] (Bennett &
Lemoine, 2014). In fact, the need to be agile is increasingly
pressing for firms, especially those operating in varied
culturally host countries (Fourné et al., 2014), where traditional
corporate foresight and scenario planning techniques necessitate
to be upgraded by new digital technologies (Bodwell &
Chermack, 2010; Vecchiato, 2015).
As a consequence, being “agile” in the modern digital world has
been explored by many scholars in different fields of research,
e.g. information technology, supply chain, operations, technology
management, sustainable productions as well as from the strategic
perspective (e.g. Doz, 2020; Shams et al., 2020). However, agility
is not a stand-alone capability but a characteristic resulting
from a cluster of competences including adaptability, speed,
innovation, sustainability and organisational resilience
(Holbeche, 2018) suggesting an additional reframing of the VUCA
model in order to take more effective decisions in the new digital
world (Soriano et al., 2018).
These characteristics require new organizational capabilities
(Kane et al., 2015) as well as the reconfiguration of resources
(Doz & Kosonen, 2010) and, as such, could be considered as the
new dynamic capabilities for a digital VUCA world (Millar et al.,
2018). In fact, although it is very difficult to manage
complexity, it is possible to develop key organizational
capabilities to forestall complexity (Linstone & Phillips,
2013; Phillips & Linstone, 2016).
Few studies in the literature (e.g. Lucas & Goh, 2009), along
with some examples of real companies, advocated that
digitalization in a broad sense promotes agility in organizations
reducing the risk of being stuck in rigidity traps, which can lead
to business failure (Shams et al., 2020). From a different
perspective, literature suggested that firms capitalize on digital
technologies and create higher value only when agile
organizational capabilities are employed and continuously
developed (Akhtar et al., 2018; Chan et al., 2019). This happens,
for example, when they are able to predict how these new digital
tools will affect current business processes, models and products
(Scuotto et al., 2017; Jagtap & Duong, 2019) and when
employees driven by a truly digital corporate culture are willing
to experiment and take risk (Kane et al., 2015).
Notwithstanding the opportunities offered by new digital
technologies for different business processes and activities,
there are still few empirical studies on the relationship between
digitalization and agility, on how the digitalization may
contribute to build agility and related competences, and how and
whether agility fosters the implementation of disruptive digital
technologies within companies. Therefore, there is a need to shed
light on the complex relationship between agility and
digitalization, with regard to drivers and, equally important, the
effects on different outcomes. In fact, future studies should
deeply explore the implications for value creation of
digitalization and agility. This should open up this black box by
providing evidences on why different organizations can yield
drastically different outcomes in terms of sustainable strategies,
environmental collaborations, sustainable innovation, process and
product innovation, business model innovation,
internationalization and ultimately financial performances.
Objective and topics
Therefore, this special section attempts to investigate both the
“drivers” and “outcomes” of the complex relationship between
digitalization and agility. Possible topics of papers may include
(but are not limited to):
The interconnections between firm’s agility and
digitalizationDrivers of digitalization fostered by
agilityOrganizational capabilities that favour agility and
digitalizationThe role of human resources in agility and
digitalizationTechnological competences and skills that foster
agility and digitalizationAgility and digital skills for
internationalizationAgility, digitalization and technological
innovationsAgility, digitalization and new sustainable business
modelAgility, digitalization and sustainable practicesAgility,
digitalization and financial performance
Paper Submission
Full papers are due April 30, 2021, via the Technological
Forecasting and Social Change submission system. All papers
must be submitted in the Special Issue category.
Important Dates:
Submission dates: June 1, 2020 – April 30, 2021
Final Revisions Due (including revisions in response to any second
reviews): March 31, 2022
Guest Editors
Stefano Bresciani, University of Turin (Italy),
[log in to unmask] (leading guest editor)
Alberto Ferraris, University of Turin (Italy) & Ural Federal
University (Russia), [log in to unmask]
Gabriele Santoro, University of Turin (Italy),
[log in to unmask]
Masaaki Kotabe, Temple University (USA), [log in to unmask]
References
Akhtar, P., Khan, Z., Tarba, S., & Jayawickrama, U. (2018).
The Internet of Things, dynamic data and information processing
capabilities, and operational agility. Technological Forecasting
and Social Change, 136, 307-316.
Bennett, N., & Lemoine, G. J. (2014). What a difference a word
makes: Understanding threats to performance in a VUCA world.
Business Horizons, 57(3), 311-317.
Bodwell, W., & Chermack, T. J. (2010). Organizational
ambidexterity: Integrating deliberate and emergent strategy with
scenario planning. Technological Forecasting and Social Change,
77(2), 193-202.
Chan, C. M., Teoh, S. Y., Yeow, A., & Pan, G. (2019). Agility
in responding to disruptive digital innovation: Case study of an
SME. Information Systems Journal, 29(2), 436-455.
Doz, Y. (2020). Fostering strategic agility: How individual
executives and human resource practices contribute. Human Resource
Management Review, 30(1), 100693.
Doz, Y. L., & Kosonen, M. (2010). Embedding strategic agility:
A leadership agenda for accelerating business model renewal. Long
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Fourné, S. P., Jansen, J. J., & Mom, T. J. (2014). Strategic
agility in MNEs: Managing tensions to capture opportunities across
emerging and established markets. California Management Review,
56(3), 13-38.
Holbeche, L. (2018). The agile organization: How to build an
engaged, innovative and resilient business. Kogan Page Publishers.
Jagtap, S., & Duong, L. N. K. (2019). Improving the new
product development using big data: A case study of a food
company. British Food Journal.
Kane, G. C., Palmer, D., Phillips, A. N., & Kiron, D. (2015).
Is your business ready for a digital future?. MIT Sloan management
review, 56(4), 37.
Linstone, H. A., & Phillips, F. (2013). The simultaneous
localization–globalization impact of information/communication
technology. Technological Forecasting & Social Change, 7(80),
1438-1443.
Lucas Jr, H. C., & Goh, J. M. (2009). Disruptive technology:
How Kodak missed the digital photography revolution. The Journal
of Strategic Information Systems, 18(1), 46-55.
Martínez-Climent, C., Rodríguez-García, M., & Ribeiro-Soriano,
D. (2019). Digital transformations and value creation in
international markets. International Journal of Entrepreneurial
Behavior & Research, DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-11-2019-820.
Millar, C. C., Groth, O., & Mahon, J. F. (2018). Management
innovation in a VUCA world: Challenges and recommendations.
California Management Review, 61(1), 5-14.
Phillips, F., & Linstone, H. (2016). Key ideas from a 25-year
collaboration at technological forecasting & social change.
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Scuotto, V., Santoro, G., Bresciani, S., & Del Giudice, M.
(2017). Shifting intra‐and inter‐organizational innovation
processes towards digital business: an empirical analysis of SMEs.
Creativity and Innovation Management, 26(3), 247-255.
Shams, R., Vrontis, D., Belyaeva, Z., Ferraris, A., &
Czinkota, M. R. (2020). Strategic agility in international
business: A conceptual framework for “agile” multinationals.
Journal of International Management, DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intman.2020.100737.
Soriano, D. R., Martinez-Climent, C., & Tur-Porcar, A. M.
(2018). Innovation, knowledge, judgment and decision-making as
virtuous cycles. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior
& Research, https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-10-2018-531.
Teece, D., Peteraf, M., & Leih, S. (2016). Dynamic
capabilities and organizational agility: Risk, uncertainty, and
strategy in the innovation economy. California Management Review,
58(4), 13-35.
Trost, A. (2019). Human Resources Strategies: balancing stability
and agility in times of digitization. Springer Nature.
Vecchiato, R. (2015). Creating value through foresight: First
mover advantages and strategic agility. Technological Forecasting
and Social Change, 101, 25-36.
-- Masaaki "Mike" Kotabe The Washburn Chair Professor of International Business and Marketing Past President, Academy of International Business Temple University The Fox School of Business 1801 Liacouras Walk 559 Alter Hall (006-14) Philadelphia, PA 19122-6083 U.S.A. Ph. 215-204-7704 Fax. 215-204-8029____