Kraft, Corin
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The digital transformation of Swiss small and medium-sized enterprises: insights from digital tool adoption
PurposeThe study explores the alignment of Swiss small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) managers' understanding of digital transformation, with evidence of digital tool adoption in managerial and operative work. This reveals opportunities for more fully realizing the potential of digital transformation for SMEs.Design/methodology/approachThis multiple-case study, with four theoretically sampled cases, analyzes data from the qualitative answers of 1,593 respondents to a survey of Swiss SMEs about digital transformation. The study draws on a convenience sample of Swiss SME managers.FindingsThe analysis shows little understanding of digital transformation as related to managerial work. However, there are two clear digital tool adoption patterns for managerial work: (1) workflow and workforce management and (2) work-flow and team management. Understandings of digital transformation and operative work focus on the (1) organization of operational work or (2) a combination of organization and changing the way people work. The digital tool adoption in operational work additionally focuses on the digital skills of operational employees.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is only able to identify patters of understanding of digital transformation and digital tool adoption in managerial and operative work. More research is needed to understand why these patterns are observed.Practical implicationsSME managers need to think far more carefully about aligning their vision for digital transformation and the digital tools they adopt in both managerial and operational work, but especially in managerial work.Originality/valueThis is the first empirical study of the digital transformation of Swiss SMEs and their digital tool adoption. Significant potential for alignment is revealed, suggesting potential performance gains are possible.
Small businesses’ social responsibility and political activity survey studies: a review, synthesis, and research agenda
This systematic review assesses the development of survey-based small business social responsibility (SBSR) and political activity (SBPA) research over the last 30 years. Survey research designs are a widely adopted approach to studying SBSR and SBPA, making a significant contribution to the small business nonmarket strategy (SBNS) research agenda. Survey research has been used in a quarter of the 203 SBNS research publications identified, 60% of all quantitative SBSR studies and 100% of all quantitative SBPA publications. This review identified a total of 53 survey-based studies of SBSR and SBPA in a multidisciplinary selection of 40 top journals. The SBSR articles reviewed primarily focused on environmental themes, CSR strategies, and CSR performance at the macro level and micro concerns around entrepreneurial commitment/attitudes to CSR. The SBPA articles had no clear focal phenomena. The theoretical positioning of the articles used primarily organizational and organizational field level theoretical foundations, in SBSR studies the main theory used was stakeholder approaches/theory, resource-based approaches and (meso/micro) institutional theory, while the SBPA research was clearly oriented toward resource-based approaches. The SBSR studies in contrast to the SBPA research had a far clearer set of established predictor, outcome, moderating/mediating, and control variables. In terms of survey research design the results show a consistent and ongoing improvement of the research designs, but many norms of good survey design are not yet consistently adopted in SBSR and SBPA research. Critically the literature lacks replication of results. Future studies should pursue replication studies and adopt methodological best practice.
Modelling Transformation of Corporate Communications in the Digital Age
This article provides a brief overview on transformative trends in corporate communications based on a literature review. Furthermore, it presents a framework model on how to transform corporate communications in the digital age. The model is based on a grounded theory approach derived in a field study completed in 2015, which claims that more heterarchical structures in corporate communications are needed. In a subsequent project, the model is tested in an ongoing exploratory study. Based on the learnings from the two studies, we suggest a new model on how to organize corporate communications in the digital age. At the center of the new model are written and audio-visual content, created by associates in a collaborative process and supported by the organization.
MeteoSwiss CHAPo: pollen information needs analysis
There is a network of pollen measurement devices in 14 stations throughout Switzerland. To date, the standard of pollen identification and measurement has been done manually with calculations and models providing forecasts with a six day delay. This standard is not serving the allergic public, the doctors and scientists specializing in pollen research any longer. A laser technology measurement device has successfully been tested in the regional center of MeteoSwiss in Payerne. It opens up new perspectives in terms of automation, real-time transmission and higher data quality. The technology is not only applicable to pollen measurement, but also enables partnerships to be strengthened in the areas of air quality and health effects. Based on this technology, MeteoSwiss can provide new, more valuable data products and services. With these new possibilities, two questions arise which are explored in this research report: Q1) What data products and services best serve the allergic public and doctors? Q2) Within which channels should these products be offered? MeteoSwiss has invited the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland's (FHNW) School of Business to conduct a needs analysis of the two above-mentioned target groups. The needs analysis was carried out using a customer insights research-based method called “Jobs to Be Done” (JtbD) originally from Harvard University (Christensen 1997). The FHNW researchers extrapolated those jobs or tasks that were important to the target groups but not satisfied in the market. Upon isolating these “jobs”, MeteoSwiss experts from the CHAPo project and aha! were invited to design workshops at the FHNW to create a rough prototype of data products based on the research outcomes.