IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v18y2026i2p883-d1841149.html

Digital Transformation and New Quality Productivity in SMEs: Evidence of Corporate Managerial Ability in China

Author

Listed:
  • Jia Song

    (Business School, Nanjing University, Nanjing 211106, China)

  • Decai Yang

    (Business School, Nanjing University, Nanjing 211106, China)

Abstract

This study utilizes data from Chinese listed small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from 2010 to 2023. Based on dynamic capability theory and behavioral theory, we examine how corporate digital transformation influences new quality productivity and analyze the mediating role of managerial ability. The results indicate that digital transformation significantly and positively impacts the development of new quality productivity in SMEs, with managerial ability exerting a mediating effect. Furthermore, industry technological turbulence, ESG ratings, and digital intellectual property protection amplify the promotional effect of digital transformation on new quality productivity. Additionally, digital transformation plays a crucial role in enhancing new quality productivity for enterprises operating in more competitive industries, high-tech enterprises, and specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative (SRDI) enterprises. This study extends the digital transformation literature by integrating managerial ability as a key internal mechanism linking digitalization to new quality productivity within SMEs, offering evidence derived from a large-scale longitudinal dataset.

Suggested Citation

  • Jia Song & Decai Yang, 2026. "Digital Transformation and New Quality Productivity in SMEs: Evidence of Corporate Managerial Ability in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-24, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:18:y:2026:i:2:p:883-:d:1841149
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/18/2/883/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/18/2/883/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:gam:jsusta:v:18:y:2026:i:2:p:883-:d:1841149. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.