Digitalization for survival: the impact of the duration of negative attainment discrepancy on enterprise digitalization breadth and intensity

The causes and consequences of enterprise digitalization have attracted significant attention and extensive discussions among scholars. However, the issue of whether Negative Attainment Discrepancy inhibits or promotes digitalization in enterprises remains unresolved. This study, based on the Behavioral Theory of the Firm and the Upper Echelons Theory, explores the impact of the duration of negative attainment discrepancy on the breadth and intensity of enterprise digitalization. It also investigates the moderating effect of the executive team’s multi-dimensional human capital, considering three aspects: technical expertise, international experience, and educational background. This study uses the data of Chinese A-share manufacturing listed companies from 2008 to 2023 as the research sample, adopts the two-way fixed effects model, and empirically proves that duration of negative attainment discrepancy stimulates enterprises to reduce the breadth of digitalization but enhances the intensity of digitalization. The technical background and overseas experience of the executive team weaken the reducing effect of duration of negative attainment discrepancy on the breadth of enterprise digitalization, while the technical background and educational level of the executive team strengthen the promoting effect of duration of negative attainment discrepancy on the intensity of enterprise digitalization. The evidence provided by this study suggests that duration of negative attainment discrepancy is a significant contributor to enterprise digitalization, offering a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between duration of negative attainment discrepancy and digitalization strategies within enterprises