Digital transformation or information management: What direction are companies going in?

Abstract

The research assessed Digital Transformation and Information Management with a view to determine between both, what preferences the contemporary company is exploring in the era of the digital economy. Information Management is a traditional discipline that is responsible for the preparation and distribution of information; it is connected with a company's information strategy (InS) and information systems (IS), while Digital Transformation is an emerging subject area that explores organisational transformation through the incorporation of digital technologies into organisational processes and reinvention of business models to improve a company's market competitiveness. A mixed method approach is adopted for the research, it involved quantitative and qualitative methods was adopted for the research. Data for the quantitative research was gathered through an online questionnaire; it covered respondents from 60 companies spread across 17 different countries. About 70% of companies implemented some form of InS, while about 80% of organizations had more than one type of information systems implemented within their business processes. From the ICT point of view, more than 50% of companies implemented the following: document management systems, business intelligence, cloud computing, and social media. The qualitative research involved in depth interviews with top management staff from the five companies covered in the survey. The respondents were of the opinion that the relationship between IM and DT within their organization was a priority for strategic planning and future growth. The survey results also showed that some respondents considered DT a sub-function of InS. Three maturity levels of the company and organization in relations to DT and InS were also suggested as follows from the analysis: the basic (37%), middle (26%), and high (37%) level. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the working hypothesis.