@incollection{10.1108/978-1-80592-096-020261001,
    author = {Volpentesta, Tiziano},
    isbn = {978-1-80592-097-7},
    title = {Digital Transformation: Toward a Comprehensive Understanding},
    booktitle = {The Digital Transformation of Organizations},
    publisher = {Emerald Publishing Limited},
    year = {2026},
    month = {05},
    abstract = {Digital transformation (DT) has emerged as one of the most critical yet conceptually ambiguous phenomena in contemporary organizational studies. This chapter provides a comprehensive framework to understand DT as a multidimensional, cross-disciplinary process that extends beyond mere technological adoption. While the rapid diffusion of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) has generated both enthusiasm and confusion, this work bridges technical, strategic, and organizational perspectives to clarify the scope and implications of DT. The text distinguishes DT from related but narrower processes such as digitization and digitalization, emphasizing that true transformation entails fundamental reconfigurations of organizational structures, processes, and cultures. DT is conceptualized as a sociotechnical process involving the mutual shaping of technology and organization, characterized by emergent dynamics, generative change, and continuous adaptation. The book explores the central role of digital innovation, the evolving nature of digital artifacts, and their capacity to reshape organizational routines and capabilities. Furthermore, it identifies persistent barriers to successful transformation, including organizational inertia, resource dependency, and ambidexterity tensions. Drawing from multiple disciplinary traditions—management, information systems, and innovation studies—the book advances theoretical clarity while offering practical insights into how organizations can navigate and sustain DT. Ultimately, it argues that successful transformation requires more than digital technologies; it demands visionary leadership, a digital mindset, and holistic redesign of how value is created and captured in the digital era.},
    doi = {10.1108/978-1-80592-096-020261001},
    url = {https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80592-096-020261001},
    eprint = {https://www.emerald.com/book/chapter-pdf/11436814/978-1-80592-096-020261001en.pdf},
}