In search for a successful digital transformation: Three case studies in the valves industry

This paper resorts on the concept of resilience to justify the existence of different yet effec-tive approaches to the digital transformation by contrasting the success stories of three Ital-ian companies in the valves industry. The hypothesis underlying this study is that digital technologies aligned with the resilience level of the adopting organisation support an ap-propriate engagement with the external environment. The case studies of digital transfor-mation examined in this paper point out three main findings. First, for all companies the digital transformation represents an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary process. Sec-ond, resilience has a continuous nature that increases with the coherent intensification of its underlying components. In each company a unique blend of resources and cognitive tools enable the design and the enactment of consistent routines and meta-routines. Third, digital technologies adoption patterns align with the resilience level of each company and with the organisation engagement with the external environment. When the resilience model focuses on the shift to a new equilibrium the adoption process is centrally governed, and organisa-tional change is limited. In contrast, when the resilience model focuses on coping with con-tinuous and unpredictable change the digital transformation involves more decentralised decision making and significant organisational change.