IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eme/rauspp/rausp-09-2024-0187.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Exploring digital leadership - TOE framework in CRM adoption by SMEs in developing countries

Author

Listed:
  • Yoga Religia
  • Yussi Ramawati
  • Asri Sekar Mawar Firdausi
  • Dedy Sunaryo Nainggolan

Abstract

Purpose - This study aims to investigate how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries can leverage customer relationship management (CRM) for business growth. It extends the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework by incorporating digital leadership and examining its role in moderating the effects of technological and organizational contexts on CRM adoption. Design/methodology/approach - The research uses a quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional approach, collecting data from 223 SMEs in Indonesia supported by Jadah Tempe Kaliurang Small and Medium Industries, which have already adopted CRM. Data analysis was conducted using SEM-PLS with SmartPLS. Findings - The study finds that environmental factors and digital leadership are crucial for CRM adoption in SMEs, while technological and organizational factors have minimal impact. Notably, digital leadership negatively moderates the effect of organizational context on CRM adoption. Research limitations/implications - The study emphasizes the need to integrate digital leadership into the TOE framework for a more comprehensive understanding of CRM adoption. Practical implications - The results help SMEs identify key factors affecting CRM adoption and develop strategies for successful implementation, highlighting the importance of digital leadership. Social implications - The study underscores that SME leaders in developing countries must enhance their digital skills to adopt CRM effectively. Originality/value - This research contributes to the TOE framework by showing digital leadership’s critical, albeit unexpectedly negative, role in CRM adoption among SMEs.

Suggested Citation

  • Yoga Religia & Yussi Ramawati & Asri Sekar Mawar Firdausi & Dedy Sunaryo Nainggolan, 2025. "Exploring digital leadership - TOE framework in CRM adoption by SMEs in developing countries," RAUSP Management Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 60(1), pages 52-68, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:eme:rauspp:rausp-09-2024-0187
    DOI: 10.1108/RAUSP-09-2024-0187
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/RAUSP-09-2024-0187/full/html?utm_source=repec&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=repec
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/RAUSP-09-2024-0187/full/pdf?utm_source=repec&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=repec
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1108/RAUSP-09-2024-0187?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
    ---><---

    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:eme:rauspp:rausp-09-2024-0187. 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.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using 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: Emerald Support (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    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.