Title of the thesis: A Practical Strategy for Driving Digital Transformation through Intelligent Automation and Agile Change Management (SMEs).
Patel, Karishma (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202601081129
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202601081129
Tiivistelmä
Digital transformation is becoming a strategic necessity for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Nevertheless, Indian SMEs face numerous challenges, including resource constraints, disparities in digital adoption rates, and organizational resistance to change. Intelligent automation (IA) and agile change management are two key strategies that can be combined to support digital transformation in such resource-constrained contexts; hence, this research focuses on the development and analysis of a unified framework.
Following a Design Science Research (DSR) approach, this study develops the Intelligent Automation and Agile Strategy (IAAS) framework by synthesizing the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, Agile Change Management principles, and SME digital transformation literature. Empirical validation of the framework was conducted through a qualitative case study of an Indian SME in the technology services industry, employing multiple data collection methods including semi-structured interviews, employee surveys, and document analysis.
The results found that the IAAS framework is a successful strategy of mitigating significant barriers to digital transformation, such as budgetary limitations, skills shortage, and resistance to change, by encouraging a stepwise implementation process, choosing low-cost automation solutions and participative change-management practices.
The present study provides a valuable theoretical input as it has incorporated the perspective of adoption and change management as well as it has made the SME managers understand how they can be applied in practice with guidance that is clear and practical. The IAAS framework, when applied to the context of the Indian SMEs and other emerging markets, provides a structured but easily scalable process of undertaking digital transformation in a structured way that is highly resource-appropriate in the case of the resource-constrained organisations.
Following a Design Science Research (DSR) approach, this study develops the Intelligent Automation and Agile Strategy (IAAS) framework by synthesizing the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, Agile Change Management principles, and SME digital transformation literature. Empirical validation of the framework was conducted through a qualitative case study of an Indian SME in the technology services industry, employing multiple data collection methods including semi-structured interviews, employee surveys, and document analysis.
The results found that the IAAS framework is a successful strategy of mitigating significant barriers to digital transformation, such as budgetary limitations, skills shortage, and resistance to change, by encouraging a stepwise implementation process, choosing low-cost automation solutions and participative change-management practices.
The present study provides a valuable theoretical input as it has incorporated the perspective of adoption and change management as well as it has made the SME managers understand how they can be applied in practice with guidance that is clear and practical. The IAAS framework, when applied to the context of the Indian SMEs and other emerging markets, provides a structured but easily scalable process of undertaking digital transformation in a structured way that is highly resource-appropriate in the case of the resource-constrained organisations.