Digital transformation projects maturity and managerial competences: a model and its preliminary assessment

This paper sheds light on an overlooked aspect of Digital Transformation processes and projects: the managerial competences necessary to make them happen, evolve and be achieved. Many technology maturity models are discussed in the literature, but little or no mention is done regarding how to model and assess the broader set of managerial competences (i.e., knowledge, skill and experience) besides the technical ones, which managerial roles should exhibit in each phase of the maturity models proposed. This paper discusses some of these maturity models and motivates a new one focused on Digital Transformation maturity in the direction of filling this gap. The model is then presented in its conceptual design as well as in its empirical assessment. A couple of pilot interviews to Italian companies are also discussed as a preliminary test of the main feelings about it and as a ground for our final refinements and future works upon it.