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Digital is Strategy: The Role of Digital Technology Adoption in Strategy Renewal

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  • Nicolas van Zeebroeck
  • Tobias Kretschmer
  • Jacques Bughin

Abstract

As digital technologies emerge and improve rapidly, firms face changing tradeoffs in terms of their technology infrastructure and strategic direction. Hence, many of them adopt new digital technology and develop new business models and strategies. The literature on strategic alignment of IT suggests that firms need to synchronize these different domains of choice. We therefore, ask how far firms renew their strategy as they adopt new technologies. In this article, we study this question empirically by assessing if the adoption of new digital technologies is associated with, or even leads to, changes to firm strategy using a detailed survey-based dataset on firms’ strategy renewal and their adoption of digital technologies. We observe a strong positive association between the extent of strategy change and the stage of adoption of advanced digital technologies overall, suggesting a tight coupling between (technological) structure and strategy. Further, using instrumental variable regressions to disentangle the two effects, we find that the adoption of new technologies may lead to a large and robust effect on strategy change: the more extensive the adoption, the larger the change in strategy. This result is robust to various specifications and across industries. However, we notice substantial differences across technologies, potentially pointing at heterogeneity in their strategic nature or maturity level.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicolas van Zeebroeck & Tobias Kretschmer & Jacques Bughin, 2021. "Digital is Strategy: The Role of Digital Technology Adoption in Strategy Renewal," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/325553, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    • Handle: RePEc:ulb:ulbeco:2013/325553
    Note: SCOPUS: ar.j
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jacques Bughin & Nicolas van Zeebroeck, 2025. "Strategic renewal meets organizational changes: what shapes incumbent’s return to digital technologies investments?," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/389349, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    2. Jacques Bughin & Nicolas van Zeebroeck, 2021. "The Entrepreneurial Returns to Incumbents’ Digital Transformation," Working Papers TIMES² 2021-048, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    3. Stefano D’Angelo & Angelo Cavallo & Antonio Ghezzi & Francesco Di Lorenzo, 2024. "Understanding corporate entrepreneurship in the digital age: a review and research agenda," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 18(12), pages 3719-3774, December.
    4. Jacques Bughin & Nicolas van Zeebroeck, 2025. "Roaring out of digital transformation," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/386722, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    5. Jacques Bughin & Nicolas van Zeebroeck, 2024. "Strategic Renewal and Corporate Return of Digital Transformation," Working Papers TIMES² 2024-071, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    6. Manjunath, Chandana & Padigar, Manjunath & Pedada, Kiran, 2024. "The role of digital orientation and strategic emphasis in creating brand competitiveness," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    7. Jacques Bughin & Tobias Kretschmer & Nicolas van Zeebroeck, 2021. "Digital technology adoption drives strategic renewal for successful digital transformation," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/328855, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    8. Jacques Bughin & Francis Hinterman & Sybille Berjoan, 2022. "A Good Crisis (not) Wasted: How Exploiting and Expanding Dynamic Capabilities Shape Corporate Performance During the Covid Pandemic," Working Papers TIMES² WP2022-051, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.

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    Keywords

    Cognition; Companies; Digital strategy; digital transformation; Industries; Insurance; Mobile applications; Space exploration; Steady-state; strategic organization design (SOD); strategic renewal; technology adoption;
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