IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/tefoso/v174y2022ics0040162521007277.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Digitalization and corporate transformation: The case of European oil & gas firms

Author

Listed:
  • Fernandez-Vidal, Jorge
  • Gonzalez, Reyes
  • Gasco, Jose
  • Llopis, Juan

Abstract

Digital technologies have had a tremendous impact on the world and have forced companies to adapt their business models, strategies and management practices. There is a scarcity of research about digital transformation in the energy sector, so this paper aims to analyze this phenomenon in the Oil & Gas sector through a comparative case analysis of eight market leading European Oil & Gas companies. To ensure an adequate methodological approach, the authors have applied Eisenhardt's framework to build theories from case study research. This article relies on multiple data collection methods. 26 interviews with 18 senior executives from the sample energy firms and two global consulting firms were completed in two separate phases. To complement these interviews, information and data were collected from a range of public sources, such as newspapers, video interviews, business magazines and analyst reports, as well as public information from the eight companies under analysis, such as annual and financial reports, company presentations, regulatory filings and announcements and company news. Our research highlights several transformational moves in the firms under study that bring substantial new capabilities and allow them to achieve market-leading positions in new and digitally native business areas -although modest in size. The sample firms mainly opt for combinations of small transformational strategies to achieve their large transformation goals. However, in many organizations, digital and business transformation initiatives suffer from poor governance and are typically just a collection of unconnected activities, piecemeal strategies and pilot projects. Developing a coherent transformation strategy, with the right structure and governance, remains a challenge for most organizations. This paper, leveraging the collective learnings from the eight companies studied, aims to help decision-makers with a conceptual guideline to select the most appropriate strategic tools when undergoing a transformation, based on four dimensions that are of high relevance across multiple strategic environments.

Suggested Citation

  • Fernandez-Vidal, Jorge & Gonzalez, Reyes & Gasco, Jose & Llopis, Juan, 2022. "Digitalization and corporate transformation: The case of European oil & gas firms," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:174:y:2022:i:c:s0040162521007277
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121293
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162521007277
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121293?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dushnitsky, Gary & Lenox, Michael J., 2005. "When do incumbents learn from entrepreneurial ventures?: Corporate venture capital and investing firm innovation rates," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 615-639, June.
    2. Michael Schwartz, 2013. "A control group study of incubators’ impact to promote firm survival," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 38(3), pages 302-331, June.
    3. Knut H. Rolland & Lars Mathiassen & Arun Rai, 2018. "Managing Digital Platforms in User Organizations: The Interactions Between Digital Options and Digital Debt," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 29(2), pages 419-443, June.
    4. Richard J. Arend, 2020. "Strategic decision-making under ambiguity: a new problem space and a proposed optimization approach," Business Research, Springer;German Academic Association for Business Research, vol. 13(3), pages 1231-1251, November.
    5. Gilles Garel, 2015. "Lessons in Creativity from the Innovative Design of the Swatch," Post-Print hal-02424312, HAL.
    6. Pershina, Raissa & Soppe, Birthe & Thune, Taran Mari, 2019. "Bridging analog and digital expertise: Cross-domain collaboration and boundary-spanning tools in the creation of digital innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(9), pages 1-1.
    7. Scheuplein, Christoph & Kahl, Julian, 2017. "Do Company Builders Create Jobs? Examining the Rise of Incubation Finance in Germany," IAT Discussion Papers 17/01, Institut Arbeit und Technik (IAT), Westfälische Hochschule, University of Applied Sciences.
    8. Gary T. Burke & Carola Wolf, 2021. "The Process Affordances of Strategy Toolmaking when Addressing Wicked Problems," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(2), pages 359-388, March.
    9. Eric Knight & Sotirios Paroutis & Loizos Heracleous, 2018. "The power of PowerPoint: A visual perspective on meaning making in strategy," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(3), pages 894-921, March.
    10. Paula Jarzabkowski & Sarah Kaplan, 2015. "Strategy tools-in-use: A framework for understanding “technologies of rationality” in practice," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(4), pages 537-558, April.
    11. Tobias Gutmann, 2019. "Harmonizing corporate venturing modes: an integrative review and research agenda," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 69(2), pages 121-157, June.
    12. Verhoef, Peter C. & Broekhuizen, Thijs & Bart, Yakov & Bhattacharya, Abhi & Qi Dong, John & Fabian, Nicolai & Haenlein, Michael, 2021. "Digital transformation: A multidisciplinary reflection and research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 889-901.
    13. Mas-Verdú, Francisco & Ribeiro-Soriano, Domingo & Roig-Tierno, Norat, 2015. "Firm survival: The role of incubators and business characteristics," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(4), pages 793-796.
    14. Tijan, Edvard & Jović, Marija & Aksentijević, Saša & Pucihar, Andreja, 2021. "Digital transformation in the maritime transport sector," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    15. Ulrich Pidun & Harald Rubner & Matthias Krühler & Robert Untiedt & Michael Nippa, 2011. "Corporate Portfolio Management: Theory and Practice," Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Morgan Stanley, vol. 23(1), pages 63-76, January.
    16. Benjamin Saunders & Julius Sim & Tom Kingstone & Shula Baker & Jackie Waterfield & Bernadette Bartlam & Heather Burroughs & Clare Jinks, 2018. "Saturation in qualitative research: exploring its conceptualization and operationalization," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 52(4), pages 1893-1907, July.
    17. Markku Maula & Erkko Autio & Gordon Murray, 2005. "Corporate Venture Capitalists and Independent Venture Capitalists: What do They Know, Who do They Know, and Should Entrepreneurs Care?," International Studies in Entrepreneurship, in: Tom Elfring (ed.), Corporate Entrepreneurship and Venturing, chapter 5, pages 101-126, Springer.
    18. Shakina, Elena & Parshakov, Petr & Alsufiev, Artem, 2021. "Rethinking the corporate digital divide: The complementarity of technologies and the demand for digital skills," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    19. Pauwels, Charlotte & Clarysse, Bart & Wright, Mike & Van Hove, Jonas, 2016. "Understanding a new generation incubation model: The accelerator," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 50, pages 13-24.
    20. Robert P. Wright & Sotirios E. Paroutis & Daniela P. Blettner, 2013. "How Useful Are the Strategic Tools We Teach in Business Schools?," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(1), pages 92-125, January.
    21. Kohler, Thomas, 2016. "Corporate accelerators: Building bridges between corporations and startups," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 59(3), pages 347-357.
    22. Jakob Pohlisch, 2020. "Internal Open Innovation—Lessons Learned from Internal Crowdsourcing at SAP," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-22, May.
    23. Scheuplein, Christoph & Kahl, Julian, 2017. "Do Company Builders Create Jobs? Examining the Rise of Incubation Finance in Germany," MPRA Paper 82733, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    24. Markku Maula & Erkko Autio & Gordon Murray, 2005. "Corporate Venture Capitalists and Independent Venture Capitalists: What do they know, Who do They Know and Should Entrepreneurs Care?," Venture Capital, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(1), pages 3-21, January.
    25. Dubois, Anna & Gadde, Lars-Erik, 2002. "Systematic combining: an abductive approach to case research," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 55(7), pages 553-560, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Fernandez-Vidal, Jorge & Antonio Perotti, Francesco & Gonzalez, Reyes & Gasco, Jose, 2022. "Managing digital transformation: The view from the top," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 29-41.
    2. Zeng, Huixiang & Ran, Hangxin & Zhou, Qiong & Jin, Youliang & Cheng, Xu, 2022. "The financial effect of firm digitalization: Evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    3. Du, Juntao & Shen, Zhiyang & Song, Malin & Zhang, Linda, 2023. "Nexus between digital transformation and energy technology innovation: An empirical test of A-share listed enterprises," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    4. Annosi, Maria Carmela & Capo, Francesca & Appio, Francesco Paolo & Bedetti, Ivan, 2023. "Unveiling micro-foundations of digital transformation: Cognitive models, routines, and organizational structures in agri-food SMEs," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    5. Zhang, Hongyan & Gao, Shuaizhi & Zhou, Peng, 2023. "Role of digitalization in energy storage technological innovation: Evidence from China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Del Sarto, Nicola & Isabelle, Diane A. & Di Minin, Alberto, 2020. "The role of accelerators in firm survival: An fsQCA analysis of Italian startups," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 90.
    2. Ting-Kai Chou & Jia-Chi Cheng & Chin-Chen Chien, 2013. "How useful is venture capital prestige? Evidence from IPO survivability," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 40(4), pages 843-863, May.
    3. Moschner, Sandra-Luisa & Herstatt, Cornelius, 2017. "All that glitters is not gold: How motives for open innovation collaboration with startups diverge from action in corporate accelerators," Working Papers 102, Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Institute for Technology and Innovation Management.
    4. J. Piet Hausberg & Sabrina Korreck, 2020. "Business incubators and accelerators: a co-citation analysis-based, systematic literature review," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 45(1), pages 151-176, February.
    5. Riikkinen, Mikko & Pihlajamaa, Matti, 2022. "Achieving a strategic fit in fintech collaboration – A case study of Nordea Bank," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 461-472.
    6. Enkel, Ellen & Sagmeister, Veronika, 2020. "External corporate venturing modes as new way to develop dynamic capabilities," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 96.
    7. Jeon, Euiju & Maula, Markku, 2022. "Progress toward understanding tensions in corporate venture capital: A systematic review," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 37(4).
    8. Park, Sarah & LiPuma, Joseph A., 2020. "New venture internationalization: The role of venture capital types and reputation," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(1).
    9. Petrit Ademi & Monika C. Schuhmacher & Andrew L. Zacharakis, 2023. "Evaluating Affordance-Based Opportunities: A Conjoint Experiment of Corporate Venture Capital Managers’ Decision-Making," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 47(6), pages 2293-2322, November.
    10. Bugl, Benjamin M. & Balz, Frank P. & Kanbach, Dominik K., 2022. "Leveraging smart capital through corporate venture capital: A typology of value creation for new venture firms," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 17(C).
    11. Merguei, Nitzan, 2022. "Venturing out: Designing effective pre-acceleration programs," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    12. Vareska Van de Vrande & Wim Vanhaverbeke, 2013. "How Prior Corporate Venture Capital Investments Shape Technological Alliances: A Real Options Approach," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 37(5), pages 1019-1043, September.
    13. Thomas Keil & Markku V.J. Maula & Cameron Wilson, 2010. "Unique Resources of Corporate Venture Capitalists as a Key to Entry into Rigid Venture Capital Syndication Networks," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 34(1), pages 83-103, January.
    14. Moschner, Sandra-Luisa & Fink, Alexander A. & Kurpjuweit, Stefan & Wagner, Stephan M. & Herstatt, Cornelius, 2019. "Toward a better understanding of corporate accelerator models," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 62(5), pages 637-647.
    15. Stefanie Weniger & Svenja Jarchow, 2023. "Between benefit and risk: how entrepreneurs evaluate corporate investors," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 93(5), pages 783-816, July.
    16. Hill, Susan A. & Birkinshaw, Julian, 2008. "Strategy-organization configurations in corporate venture units: Impact on performance and survival," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 423-444, July.
    17. Fernandez-Vidal, Jorge & Antonio Perotti, Francesco & Gonzalez, Reyes & Gasco, Jose, 2022. "Managing digital transformation: The view from the top," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 29-41.
    18. Rohrbeck, Rene & Döhler, Mario & Arnold, Heinrich M., 2007. "Combining spin-out and spin-in activities – the spin-along approach," MPRA Paper 5563, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Christou, Prokopis & Hadjielias, Elias & Simillidou, Aspasia & Kvasova, Olga, 2023. "The use of intelligent automation as a form of digital transformation in tourism: Towards a hybrid experiential offering," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 155(PB).
    20. Sansone, Giuliano & Andreotti, Pietro & Colombelli, Alessandra & Landoni, Paolo, 2020. "Are social incubators different from other incubators? Evidence from Italy," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:174:y:2022:i:c:s0040162521007277. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00401625 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.