Digital Transformation and High-Quality Development in China’s Leading Agribusiness Firms: A TOE-Based Configurational Analysis

Abstract

Leading agribusiness firms are pivotal to modernizing agricultural supply chains, yet evidence on how digital transformation translates into high-quality development remains fragmented. Using a 2024 sample of 30 Chinese national agribusiness leaders and the technology–organization–environment (TOE) framework, we integrate grey relational analysis with DEMATEL to quantify interdependencies among conditions, and combine fuzzy-set QCA with necessary condition analysis to identify both configurational pathways and binding constraints. The results of the analysis indicate that high-quality development rarely stems from a single driver; it emerges from complementary bundles linking digital technologies and R&D investment with organizational readiness (e.g., talent and governance) under supportive external conditions (e.g., policy incentives and market pressure). The findings provide a configurational explanation of digital upgrading in agribusiness and inform differentiated digital strategies for managers and policymakers.