A new proposed model to assess the digital organizational readiness to maximize the results of the digital transformation in SMEs

Silva, R. P., Mamede, H. S., & Santos, V. (2025). A new proposed model to assess the digital organizational readiness to maximize the results of the digital transformation in SMEs. Journal of Innovation and Knowledge, 10(1), 1-26. Article 100644. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2024.100644 --- %ABS1% --- This work is financed by National Funds through the Portuguese funding agency, FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia), within project UIDP/50014/2020. DOI 10.54499/UIDP/50014/2020 | doi:10.54499/UIDP/50014/2020 ; Scientific research in digital transformation is expanding in scope, quantity, and relevance, bringing forth diverse perspectives on which factors and specific dimensions—such as organizational structure, culture, and technological readiness—affect the success of digital transformation initiatives. Numerous studies have proposed mechanisms to assess an organization's maturity through digital transformation across various models. Some of these models focus on external influences, others on internal factors, or both. Although these assessments provide valuable insights into a company's transformation state, they often lack consistency, and recent research highlights key gaps. Specifically, many models primarily reflect the views of senior management on the general progress of digital transformation rather than on measurable outcomes. Moreover, these models tend to target large enterprises, overlooking small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which are crucial to economic growth yet face unique challenges, such as limited resources and expertise. Our study addresses these gaps by concentrating on SMEs and introducing a novel approach to assessing digital transformation readiness—a metric that reflects how prepared an organization is to optimize transformation outcomes. Following design science research methodology, we develop a model that centers on the perspectives of general employees, offering companies an in-depth view of their readiness across 20 dimensions. Each dimension is evaluated through ...