at Google ScholarTitle data
Oberländer, Anna Maria ; Karnebogen, Philip ; Rövekamp, Patrick ; Röglinger, Maximilian ; Leidner, Dorothy:
Understanding the Influence of Digital Ecosystems on Digital Transformation : The OCO (Orientation, Cooperation, Orchestration) Theory.
In: Information Systems Journal.
Vol. 35
(2025)
Issue 1
.
- pp. 368-413.
ISSN 1365-2575
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12539
Abstract in another language
Digital transformation is a complex, multi-level phenomenon that still challenges research and practice. Recent research has highlighted the influence of digital ecosystems on digital transformation, but we lack knowledge about how this relationship unfolds across the organizational and the ecosystem levels. Following a phenomenon-based theorizing approach and applying a digital resource-based view, we present the OCO (orientation, cooperation, orchestration) theory of digital transformation. The OCO theory explains the relationship between an organization’s digital transformation and its integration into a digital ecosystem. We uncover and explain three interdependent mechanisms, i.e., orientation, cooperation, and orchestration, that are set in motion by cross-level interactions between the organizational and the ecosystem levels and that centre around digital resources. Our work advances the frontier of multi-level digital transformation research explaining the influence of a digital ecosystem on digital transformation. We conclude through six propositions that the deeper its digital ecosystem integration, the more likely an organization’s digital transformation is effective. Therewith, we aim at mobilizing future digital transformation research to bridge the organizational and the ecosystem levels and provide four future research themes. Our work also encourages practitioners to acknowledge and manage the influence of digital ecosystems on digital transformation.