Digital Transformation Implementation Challenges in Turkish Industrial Enterprises

Abstract

A successful digital transformation (DT) requires reengineering company processes in line with the strategy and business model, and using multiple technologies simultaneously and harmoniously. This creates multiple challenges. This study identifies and prioritizes emerging DT challenges in Turkish industrial sectors. After conducting the literature review, this exploratory study uses structured interviews in multiple sectors and conducts case studies. Challenges are discussed under technological, organizational, managerial, and human dimensions and results are compared with the existing literature. In Turkey, 29% of challenges are human-related, 28% are organizational, 24% are technological, and 19% are managerial. Findings support the importance of handling the soft aspects during the implementations, and put forward the variability of the results with respect to company size and sector. The study is valuable in providing a comprehensive Turkish perspective, classification, and prioritization of multi-dimensional challenges.