Research Insights: Going digital

Digital transformation is critical for organizational competitiveness, but it can be a complex and disruptive process. Given the rapid evolution of digital technologies, board engagement is 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹—𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲. A crucial question, then, is how prepared board members are to lead the way in the digital transformation process.

Quang Neo Bui, associate professor in the department of MIS, marketing, and analytics, along with three co-authors, explores this topic in an article, “Survival of the fittest through digital transformation: Turning the board’s digital awareness to action,” published in Information Systems Journal. 

Bui and his collaborators conducted 21 interviews with and received 19 surveys from board members and IT leaders of large enterprises. The authors found that boards’ digital awareness manifests in four ways: (1) unconscious incompetence—the board is oblivious to both problems and digital solutions; (2) conscious incompetence—the board understands the problems but not the available technological solutions; (3) unconscious competence—the board is aware of technological solutions but not the relevant problem areas in the companies; and (4) conscious competence—the wished for state in which the board can relate digital technologies to problems it faces.

Finally, Bui and his co-authors describe best practices to bridge the digital awareness deficit and turn awareness into meaningful action. Boards that proactively enhance their digital awareness steer transformation more effectively and improve firm performance.

View paper in Information Systems Journal (2025), Survival of the fittest through digital transformation: Turning the board's digital awareness to action.