Section outline

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    Institutional and Personal Readiness

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    Internal Resistance and How to Overcome It

    • Introduction

      In this learning unit, key personnel employed by SMEs will be able to be educated on the different facets of resistance to the change brought about by digital transformation:

      • Resistance from leaders and senior management in deciding to undertake digital transformation.
      • Resistance from the workforce in implementing digital transformation.

      Once resistance to change has been identified, key personnel will be equipped with strategies to overcome resistance and will have the opportunity to:

      • Directly use these strategies with personnel within SMEs who appear resistant or hesitant about choosing digital transformation.
      • Suggest these strategies to SME leaders and senior management to overcome potential resistance from their staff.
    • Part 1: Resistance to Change and Strategy Page
    • Knowledge Assessment: Resistance to Change and Strategy Quiz
      Students must
      Mark as done

    • Resources

      1. Matt, D.T. and Rauch, E. (2020) SME 4.0: The role of small- and medium-sized enterprises in the digital transformation.
      2. Krajčík, V., Novotný, O., Civelek, M. and Semrádová Zvolánková, S. (2023) ‘Digital literacy and digital transformation activities of service and manufacturing SMEs’.
      3. Ulas, D. (2019) ‘Digital transformation process and SMEs’.
      4. Liang, L., Su, F., Zhang, W. and Mao, J.Y. (2016) ‘Digital transformation by SME entrepreneurs: A capability perspective’.
      5. Raimo, N., De Turi, I., Rubino, M. and Vitolla, F. (2021) ‘Which Italian SMEs fall in love with digitalisation? An exploration into the determinants’.
      6. Scholkmann, A. (2021) Resistance to (digital) change: Individual, systemic and learning-related perspectives.
      7. Ugwu, J.N., Turyamureeba, S., Masudi, K.A. and Nyamboga, T.O. (2024) ‘Digital transformation in SMEs: Challenges, technologies, and best practices’.
      8. OECD (2021) The digital transformation of SMEs, OECD Studies on SMEs and Entrepreneurship, OECD Publishing, Paris.
      9. Matarazzo, M., Penco, L., Profumo, G. and Quaglia, R. (2021) ‘Digital transformation and customer value creation in Made in Italy SMEs: A dynamic capabilities perspective’.
      10. Mahmud, H., Islam, A.K.M.N. and Mitra, R.K. (2023) ‘What drives managers towards algorithm aversion and how to overcome it? Mitigating the impact of innovation resistance through technology readiness’.
      11. Cugno, M., Castagnoli, R. and Büchi, G. (2021) ‘Openness to Industry 4.0 and performance: The impact of barriers and incentives’.
      12. Malodia, S., Mishra, M., Fait, M., Papa, A. and Dezi, L. (2023) ‘To digit or to head? Designing digital transformation journey of SMEs among digital self-efficacy and professional leadership’.

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    Digital readiness

    • Introduction 

      In this learning unit, operators from SME associations and clusters will gain a deep understanding of the concept of readiness related to Digital Transformation. This concept is applied to SMEs at both the personal level (entrepreneurs and employees) and the organisational/institutional level.

      The learning unit will delve into models for measuring SMEs' readiness for digital transformation with one particular  measurement model presented in detail. Finally, the concept of the personal readiness of the SME leader will be introduced, taking into account relevant personal dimensions to evaluate.

      This represents an area where the SMARTER SMEs project aims to work on a relatively unexplored dimension, where existing research appears quite limited.

    • Part 2: Digital Readiness Page
    • Knowledge Assessment: Digital Readiness Quiz
      Students must
      Mark as done

    • Resources

      1. Barry, A.S., Assoul, S. and Souiss, N. (2023) ‘Strengths and weaknesses of digital maturity models’, Journal of Computer Science, Science Publications.
      2. Cugno, M., Castagnoli, R. and Biichi, G. (2021) ‘Openness to Industry 4.0 and performance: The impact of barriers and incentives’.
      3. Gavrila, S. and de Lucas, A.A. (2021) ‘Spanish SMEs' digitalization enablers: E-receipt applications to the offline retail market’.
      4. Grover, B. and Damle, M. (2020) ‘Comparison of select digital maturity models for digital transformation dynamics’, Arch.Egyptol.
      5. Grufman, N. and Lyons, S. (2020) ‘Exploring Industry 4.0: A readiness assessment for SMEs’.
      6. Lichtblau, K., Stich, V., Bertenrath, R., Blum, M., Bleider, M., Millack, A., Schmitt, K., Schmitz, E. and Schröter, M. (2015) Industrie 4.0 readiness, Impuls-Stiftung des VDMA, Aachen-Köln. Available at: https://industrie40.vdma.org/documents/4214230/26342484/Industrie_40_Readiness_Study_1529498007918.pdf/0b5fd521-9ee2-2de0-f377-93bdd01ed1c8 (Accessed: 2 April 2025).
      7. Li, L., Su, F., Zhang, W. and Mao, J.Y. (2017) ‘Digital transformation by SME entrepreneurs: A capability perspective’.
      8. Mahmud, H., Islam, A.K.M.N. and Mitra, R.K. (2023) ‘What drives managers towards algorithm aversion and how to overcome it? Mitigating the impact of innovation resistance through technology readiness’.
      9. Malodia, S., Mishra, M., Fait, M., Papa, A. and Dezi, L. (2023) ‘To digit or to head? Designing digital transformation journey of SMEs among digital self-efficacy and professional leadership’.
      10. Medina, M.J., De Santo, A., Oswald, P. and Sokhn, M. (2024) ‘Digital business transformation for SMEs: Maturity model for systematic roadmap’.
      11. Oktadini, N.R., Fernando, J., Sevtiyuni, P.E., Buchari, M.A., Putra, P. and Meiriza, A. (2023) ‘Measuring technology readiness index (TRI) of management information system adoption in higher education’, Ultima InfoSys: Jurnal Ilmu Sistem Informasi, 13(2), pp. 94-99.
      12. Parasuraman, A. (2000) ‘Technology Readiness Index (TRI): A multiple-item scale to measure readiness to embrace new technologies’.
      13. Parasuraman, A. and Colby, C.L. (2015) ‘An updated and streamlined Technology Readiness Index: TRI 2.0’.
      14. Re, N.U., Ghezzi, A., Balocco, R. and Rangone, A. (2023) ‘Supporting the digitalization of SMEs through maturity models’.
      15. van Tonder, C., Bossink, B., Schachtebeck, C. and Nieuwenhuizen, C. (2024) ‘Key dimensions that measure the digital maturity levels of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)’.