IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/sjobre/v77y2025i2d10.1007_s41471-025-00210-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

From Technical Conversion to Social Transformation: Organizational Interpretations and Public Discourse in the Case of the Digital Transformation

Author

Listed:
  • Philipp Poschmann

    (Friedrich Schiller University Jena)

  • Peter Walgenbach

    (Friedrich Schiller University Jena)

Abstract

Digital transformation is widely considered to be a critical issue with far-reaching impacts on corporations, industries, and society. While business research generally supports this view, there has been limited insight into how corporations, as both primary drivers and recipients of digital transformation, have shaped the development of this understanding. In this study, we adopted a discursive perspective from institutional theory and examined the interplay between organizational and public interpretations of digital transformation. Using a topic modeling approach with map analyses, we analyzed annual reports and media publications—including newspapers, magazines, and the industry trade press—published in Germany between 2005 and 2017. Our findings reveal that interpretations of the digital transformation evolved over time, which we trace back to a co-constitutive relationship between organizational and public discourse. Specifically, we conclude that structures of public discourse may shape new organizational interpretations and contribute to a shared understanding among organizations and vice versa. Further, we find that the various media types in public discourse play distinct roles in shaping organizational interpretations. Our study contributes to business research by offering new insights into digital transformation and the relationship between organizations and the issues in their environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Philipp Poschmann & Peter Walgenbach, 2025. "From Technical Conversion to Social Transformation: Organizational Interpretations and Public Discourse in the Case of the Digital Transformation," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 77(2), pages 229-265, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:sjobre:v:77:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s41471-025-00210-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s41471-025-00210-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s41471-025-00210-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s41471-025-00210-z?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Andrew J. Hoffman & William Ocasio, 2001. "Not All Events Are Attended Equally: Toward a Middle-Range Theory of Industry Attention to External Events," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(4), pages 414-434, August.
    2. Rodolphe Durand & Robert M. Grant & Tammy L. Madsen & Eric Yanfei Zhao & Greg Fisher & Michael Lounsbury & Danny Miller, 2017. "Optimal distinctiveness: Broadening the interface between institutional theory and strategic management," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(1), pages 93-113, January.
    3. Marina Fiedler & Thomas Hutzschenreuter & Martin Klarmann & Barbara E. Weißenberger, 2023. "Transformation: Challenges, Impact, and Consequences," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 75(3), pages 271-279, September.
    4. Peter Mertens & Martin Wiener, 2018. "Riding the Digitalization Wave: Toward a Sustainable Nomenclature in Wirtschaftsinformatik," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 60(4), pages 367-372, August.
    5. Maximilian Matthe & Daniel M. Ringel & Bernd Skiera, 2023. "Mapping Market Structure Evolution," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 42(3), pages 589-613, May.
    6. Gregoire Croidieu & Phillip H. Kim, 2018. "Labor of Love : Amateurs and Lay-Expertise Legitimation in the Early U.S. Radio Field," Post-Print hal-02312377, HAL.
    7. Kannan, P.K. & Li, Hongshuang “Alice”, 2017. "Digital marketing: A framework, review and research agenda," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 22-45.
    8. Ritu Agarwal & Guodong (Gordon) Gao & Catherine DesRoches & Ashish K. Jha, 2010. "Research Commentary ---The Digital Transformation of Healthcare: Current Status and the Road Ahead," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 21(4), pages 796-809, December.
    9. Sarah Kaplan, 2008. "Framing Contests: Strategy Making Under Uncertainty," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 19(5), pages 729-752, October.
    10. Jane E. Dutton & Susan J. Ashford & Katherine A. Lawrence & Kathi Miner-Rubino, 2002. "Red Light, Green Light: Making Sense of the Organizational Context for Issue Selling," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(4), pages 355-369, August.
    11. Gregoire Croidieu & Phillip H. Kim, 2018. "Labor of Love : Amateurs and Lay-Expertise Legitimation in the Early U.S. Radio Field," Grenoble Ecole de Management (Post-Print) hal-02312377, HAL.
    12. Laura K. Nelson, 2020. "Computational Grounded Theory: A Methodological Framework," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 49(1), pages 3-42, February.
    13. André Hanelt & René Bohnsack & David Marz & Cláudia Antunes Marante, 2021. "A Systematic Review of the Literature on Digital Transformation: Insights and Implications for Strategy and Organizational Change," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(5), pages 1159-1197, July.
    14. 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.
    15. Martin Reisenbichler & Thomas Reutterer, 2019. "Topic modeling in marketing: recent advances and research opportunities," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 89(3), pages 327-356, April.
    16. Nicholas Berente & Stefan Seidel & Hani Safadi, 2019. "Research Commentary—Data-Driven Computationally Intensive Theory Development," Service Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(1), pages 50-64, March.
    17. Goldenstein, Jan & Hunoldt, Michael & Oertel, Simon, 2019. "How optimal distinctiveness affects new ventures' failure risk: A contingency perspective," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 477-495.
    18. Youngjin Yoo & Ola Henfridsson & Kalle Lyytinen, 2010. "Research Commentary ---The New Organizing Logic of Digital Innovation: An Agenda for Information Systems Research," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 21(4), pages 724-735, December.
    19. Matthew A. Barlow & J. Cameron Verhaal & Ryan W. Angus, 2019. "Optimal distinctiveness, strategic categorization, and product market entry on the Google Play app platform," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(8), pages 1219-1242, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Bhandari, Krishna Raj & Zámborský, Peter & Ranta, Mikko & Salo, Jari, 2023. "Digitalization, internationalization, and firm performance: A resource-orchestration perspective on new OLI advantages," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(4).
    2. Cong Cheng & Hongfang Cui, 2024. "Combining digital and legacy technologies: firm digital transformation strategies—evidence from Chinese manufacturing companies," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-14, December.
    3. Deist, Maximilian K. & McDowell, William C. & Bouncken, Ricarda B., 2023. "Digital units and digital innovation: Balancing fluidity and stability for the Creation, Conversion, and Dissemination of sticky knowledge," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    4. Piepponen, Amanda & Ritala, Paavo & Keränen, Joona & Maijanen, Päivi, 2022. "Digital transformation of the value proposition: A single case study in the media industry," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 311-325.
    5. Changwei Pang & Qiong Wang, 2024. "How Digital Transformation Promotes Disruptive Innovation? Evidence from Chinese Entrepreneurial Firms," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(2), pages 7788-7818, June.
    6. Luciana Carvalho de Mesquita Ferreira, 2011. "Attention process: A multilevel perspective," Business and Economics Working Papers 130, Unidade de Negocios e Economia, Insper.
    7. Wu, Xiaojie & Chen, Xiaomei & Wang, Xiuqiong, 2025. "With whom to be distinctive? Examining the impact of innovation narrative distinctiveness from the category prototype vs. category exemplar on firm performance," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    8. Janisch, Jonas & Vossen, Alexander, 2022. "Categorically right? How firm-level distinctiveness affects performance across product categories," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 37(4).
    9. Merín-Rodrigáñez, Joan & Dasí, Àngels & Alegre, Joaquín, 2024. "Digital transformation and firm performance in innovative SMEs: The mediating role of business model innovation," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    10. Christof Brandtner & Parham Ashur & Bhargav Srinivasa-Desikan, 2025. "Dynamic persistence of institutions : Modeling the historical endurance of Red Vienna’s public housing utopia," Post-Print hal-04907529, HAL.
    11. Kratochvil, Renate, 2025. "Stepping in and stepping aside: Employees navigating digital transformation paradoxes," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    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. Chen, Xiaomei & Wu, Xiaojie & Wang, Xiuqiong, 2025. "Looking into the past and forward: Antecedents, processes, and consequences of organizational category formation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    14. Jeehan A. R. Awad & Rodrigo Martín-Rojas, 2024. "Digital transformation influence on organisational resilience through organisational learning and innovation," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 1-24, December.
    15. Mochkabadi, Kazem & Kleinert, Simon & Urbig, Diemo & Volkmann, Christine, 2024. "From distinctiveness to optimal distinctiveness: External endorsements, innovativeness and new venture funding," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 39(1).
    16. Younger, Shannon & Preedom, Jonathan & Navis, Chad, 2025. "Legitimately distinct entrepreneurial stories in evolving market categories," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 40(1).
    17. Plekhanov, Dmitry & Franke, Henrik & Netland, Torbjørn H., 2023. "Digital transformation: A review and research agenda," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 821-844.
    18. Wang, Xincheng & Li, Yuan & Tian, Longwei & Hou, Ye, 2023. "Government digital initiatives and firm digital innovation: Evidence from China," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    19. Surender Khan & Anuj Goel, 2024. "A Perspective on Digital Transformation Among Indian Exporting Firms," FIIB Business Review, , vol. 13(1), pages 7-17, January.
    20. Zahid Sarwar & Jingmei Gao & Adnan Khan, 2024. "Nexus of digital platforms, innovation capability, and strategic alignment to enhance innovation performance in the Asia Pacific region: a dynamic capability perspective," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 41(2), pages 867-901, June.

    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:spr:sjobre:v:77:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s41471-025-00210-z. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.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.