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Modern IT systems are the strongest driver for successful digitalization.
Well-trained employees help, but are not enough on their own.
A digital strategy provides orientation, but has a rather indirect effect.
Digitalization increases success - if it is used in a targeted and integrated manner.
Summary of this study
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are often slower than large companies when it comes to digitalization. This can be detrimental to their economic performance. Although SMEs play an important role in the economy, little is known about why digitization is slowing them down and what impact this has. This study aims to find out exactly that.
The study has three main objectives
- It examines how modern IT systems, the digital skills of employees and a clear digital strategy in the company influence digitalization in SMEs.
- It analyses whether and how digitalization affects the economic success of companies.
- It examines whether digitalization plays a "mediating role" - i.e. whether, for example, good IT only increases success if it is actually used for digitalization.
Results
The survey of 193 SMEs shows: Digitalization can improve business success. All three conditions examined - IT, employees and strategy - promote digitalization. This digitalization is in turn linked to better financial performance. However, it only acts as a "mediator" for information technology, not for the other two factors.
Findings from this study
- IT as the key to digitalization: The use of modern information technology (e.g. cloud, social media, data analysis) directly promotes digitalization in SMEs and has a positive impact on their financial performance.
- Employee skills are crucial - but not everything: Well-trained and digitally savvy employees support digitalization, but do not automatically increase financial success.
- No clear path without a digital strategy: A digital strategy facilitates progress - it strengthens digitalization, but only indirectly improves company performance.
- Digitalization increases performance - in a targeted manner: Digitalization pays off financially if it is specifically integrated into core processes and customer value.
- Digitalization requires the bundling of resources: Only the interplay of IT, skills and strategy makes digitalization in SMEs truly effective - individual solutions are usually not enough.