What Determines the Digital Transformation of SRDI Enterprises?—A Study of the TOE Framework-Based Configuration

Abstract

SRDI enterprises are a strong engine for the high-quality development of the economy and an important implementation body for the construction of a strong digital country. With the booming development of digital economy, digital transformation is one of the effective paths to empower the high-quality development of small and medium-sized enterprises. However, the digital transformation of SRDI enterprises is not a simple stacked combination of elements, but rather a complex linkage system that contains many conditional elements. The cracking of the digital transformation of SRDI enterprises urgently needs to be explored by the academic community. In order to analyze the key success factors of digital transformation in SRDI enterprises, to determine whether individual elements constitute the necessary conditions for the digital transformation of an enterprise, and to explore which antecedent configurations are more conducive to the success of an enterprise’s digital transformation, this study takes 39 “SRDI” enterprises in Zhejiang Province as samples and uses the Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) method. Based on the “technology-organization-environment” framework, it examines the digital transformation path of “SRDI” enterprises from a configurational perspective. The following results were found in this study: the group patterns leading to high levels of digital transformation can be divided into the following four types: organization-environment linkage, pressure-strategy synergy, organization-led, and total-factor-driven. The group patterns leading to low levels of digital transformation can be divided into the following four types: total-factor-deficient, single-technology type, technology-biased, and organization-deficient. A digital strategy is an important condition for SRDI enterprises to realize high-level digital transformation, and the external environmental influences contribute to the realization of digital transformation and upgrading of enterprises, with the pressure of industry competition being more critical.