NBS-7099B Digital Transformation Module Handbook 2025-26 | UEA

NBS-7099B Introduction

Welcome to Digital Transformation!

This module explores in-depth the strategic and tactical issues and challenges raised by digital technologies at various levels, i.e., for firms, supply chains, business ecosystems and sectors. For example, you will explore leadership and change management in a digital context as well as some of the new opportunities that digital technologies provide for creating and steering change.

You will also have the opportunity to examine the technological drivers of change and the roles that people have in the digital transformation process. Additionally, you will critique the impact that digital transformation has upon individuals, social groups, firms, supply chains, business ecosystems and sectors.

You will do this by examining the following 10 core questions/themes.

• What are the drivers of Digital Transformation? Is it forced or a necessity?
• What is our unit of analysis? Individual-Team-Function-Firm-Sector-Network-Ecosystem- Society?
• Whose Digital Transformation are we talking about? (There is often a contest within firms!) Data v Technology; Strategy/CEO or Ops/IT or Customer Service or HR?
• Who’s leading Digital Transformations and how? Czar, Firm, or Consortia?
• What kind of change is Digital Transformation? Transformational/inspirational/supportive or incremental/discontinuous or a bit of both?
• How best to manage Digital Transformation? Project; Programme; Portfolio; Other (e.g,. Campaign)?; Explorative v Exploitative?
• How do you evaluate Digital Transformation in a broad sense?
• Digital Transformation ethos Cooperation/Competition/Coopetition?
• How does Digital Transformation affect role structures at individual and institutional levels?
• Social issues of Digital Transformation?

This module is designed to provide a coherent introduction to these questions/themes, and we will collectively look to answer these questions using a series of sectors as a means of providing some context.

Please note that the information in this Handbook is, as far as possible, correct at the time of printing, but that there may be some changes (e.g., the availability of our external practitioners/academics).

We will always attempt to maintain an up-to-date version on the Blackboard (Learn) site for the course and will communicate any significant changes as soon as possible.

NBS-7099B Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Digital Transformation (DT) now appears to be at the heart of all businesses, whether large or small, in manufacturing or services, serving consumer or business markets. Digital transformations have typically been described as strategic changes through the use of digital technologies to extend an organisation’s business model, which result in changed products and processes, improved customer engagement, and new organisational structures to provide digital-based services (Hess et al. 2016; Matt et al. 2015; Müller et al. 2016; Sebastian et al. 2017).

This module aims to provide an introduction to DT research and practice disciplines that are tailored to both the needs of incumbent large firms, entrepreneurs and new business start-ups (SMEs). Some would say that large (slower-moving) incumbents who do not take decisive action on digital transformation might suffer at the hands of smaller, more agile players who, in this digital world, are better placed than ever before to disrupt an entire sector. Therefore, while students will learn from digital transformations and innovations involving the largest multi-nationals – involving AI/machine learning, big data, digitalisation, digital supply chains, and change management – we can tailor the insights that we can gain and the lessons that we learn, also, e.g., these entrepreneurial start-ups and early-stage organisations.

The subject learning outcomes of the module are:

• To introduce students to the concepts, tools, techniques and language of digital transformation
• To enable students to critically assess the strengths and limitations of digital transformation concepts and tools
• To enable students to analyse and improve, e.g., business processes, and to effectively plan a small digital transformation project

In addition, the module will enable students to develop and use the following transferable skills:

• Critical and creative thinking
• Logical and analytical skills relating to strategic planning
• Communication skills (presentation and written English)
• Teamwork and leadership (e.g., co-development and articulation of a Digital Transformation framework)

Textbooks, Reading and other Preparation

There is no core text for this module; however, there is a growing literature on digital transformation. Each of the 11 sessions will be supplemented with specific reading and videos (where applicable).

1. Introduction to the module: What is Digital Transformation? 

What does Digital Transformation actually mean? Is it real or just hype?

In this session, we will introduce the topic, examine some definitions (Digitisation or Digitalisation or Digital Transformation?) and discuss the overall content of the module (and how it links with your degree programme and goals).

Finally, we will introduce the 10 core questions/themes and plan how we might co-develop a digital transformation framework.

Some selected reading:

• Paul et al (2024) Digital Transformation: A Multi-Disciplinary Perspective and Future Research Agenda. International Journal of Consumer Studies, forthcoming (on Bb).
• Berman, S.J. (2012). Digital transformation: opportunities to create new business models. Strategy and Leadership.
• Matt, C., Hess, T., Benlian, A. (2015) Digital transformation strategies. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 57(5), 339-343.
• Hess, T et al (2016). How German Media Companies Defined Their Digital Transformation Strategies. MIS Quarterly Executive, 15(2), 103-119.
• Venkatraman, V (2017) The Digital Matrix: New Rules for Business Transformation through Technology. Greystone Books.
• Srai, JS et al (2017) Next generation supply chains: making the right decisions about digitalisation. Executive briefing/White paper. Centre for International Manufacturing, University of Cambridge.
• Sebastian, I et al (2017). How big old companies navigate digital transformation. MIS Quarterly Executive, 16(3), 197-213.
• Chanias, S et al (2019) Digital transformation strategy making in pre-digital organisations: The case of a financial services provider. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 28(1), 17-33.
• Vial, G. (2019). Understanding digital transformation: A review and a research agenda. Journal of Strategic Information Systems. 28(2), 118-144
• Holmström et al (2019). The digitalisation of operations and supply chain management: Theoretical and methodological implications. Journal of Operations Management. DOI: 10.1002/joom.1073.

2. Different perspectives of Digital Transformation 

When it comes to Digital Transformation, there are a range of different perspectives.

In this session, we will focus on the variety of ways researchers, commentators and practitioners have sought to understand digital transformation in terms of its drivers (e.g., technology push or demand pull), its key components, business focus, key source of agency, unit of analysis, process of implementation and expected outcomes. We will go on to explore the implications of these understandings for managers.

Some selected reading:

• Danuso, A., Giones, F. and Ribeiro da Silva, E. (2021) The digital transformation of industrial players: A guide, Business Horizons, pre-proof 
• Nadkarni, S. and Prügl, R. (2020) Digital transformation: a review, synthesis and opportunities for future research, Management Review Quarterly, 71: 233–341.
• Loonam, J., Eaves, S., Kumar, V. and Parry, G. (2018) Towards Digital Transformation: Lessons learned from traditional organisations, Strategic Change, 27(2): 101-109.
• Hinnings, B., Gegenuber, T. and Greenwood, R. (2018) Digital innovation and transformation: an institutionalist perspective, Information and Organisation, 28: 52-61.

3. Doing Digital: Leadership and Change Management 

In this session, we will look at organisational issues relevant to Digital Transformation. It considers change management, that is, how to ensure the successful implementation of technologies by understanding and overcoming barriers and likely resistance to change, how so-called disruptive change is framed, and issues of leadership that can facilitate it.

4. Digital Transformation case study: Software and SMEs 

In this session, we look at an oft-neglected viewpoint, that of the organisations developing and providing solutions used to facilitate digital transformation. With digital at their core, these companies can offer a variety of perspectives and have unique insights into real-life examples of digital transformation across a variety of client sectors.

Some selected reading:

• Shaughnessy, H. and Goulding, F., (2021). Sprinting to digital transformation: a time-boxed, Agile approach. Strategy & Leadership 49(1), 18-24.

5. TBC

6. Is Cybercrime a Driver of Digital Transformation in Organisations? 

In this session, the topic of cybersecurity will be explored, as well as the consequences and impact that cybercrime can have on organisations. Furthermore, the eponymous question of the session will be examined to show how organisations can change and transform as a result of the cybersecurity measures implemented in mitigation of the threat posed by cybercrime. Real examples will showcase digital transformation as a result of cybersecurity incidents and subsequent resilience development. Finally, the national response to cybercrime is introduced and overviewed with a specific focus on relevant statutory bodies and the influence these have on digital transformation in organisations.

7. Digital Servitisation

8. Beyond Industry 4.0? Digital Transformation and People 

The growing proliferation of digital technologies worldwide has been acknowledged as the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Meindl et al., 2021). Recalling lecture 1, this transformation is driven by digital base technologies such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Cloud Computing, Big Data Analytics, and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Although this digital transformation can increase productivity and flexibility, it can also create tensions with human-centred production systems, such as lean production (Dornelles et al., 2021). In this lean context, technology should help organise and improve work processes and support workers in solving problems to reduce waste in value creation (Cifone et al., 2021). The idea of Industry 5.0? But how can this be done?

Given growing interest around SMEs and real-life examples of Digital Transformation implementations, in the second part of the session, we will hear about digital initiatives from Jamie Thums MBE (COO of Lintott Control Systems). Jamie is also pursuing a PhD at UEA, entitled "Firm and internal actor impact during the implementation of an organisational change paradigm (founded on Digital Transformation, Lean Principles, and Sustainable HRM)", which nicely aligns with emerging ‘industry 5.0’ concepts.

Some selected reading:

• Meindl, B., Ayala, N. F., Mendonça, J., & Frank, A. G. (2021). The four smarts of Industry 4.0: Evolution of ten years of research and future perspectives. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 168, 120784.
• Dornelles, J., Ayala, N. F., & Frank, A. G. (2022). Smart Working in Industry 4.0: How digital technologies enhance manufacturing workers' activities. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 163, 107804.
• Cifone, F. D., Hoberg, K., Holweg, M., & Staudacher, A. P. (2021). ‘Lean 4.0’: How can digital technologies support lean practices?. International Journal of Production Economics, 241, 108258.

9. Evaluating Digital Transformation 

Digitalisation has the potential to fundamentally challenge established theories and practices in management. In the first part of this session, we will examine both the academic literature and how specific firms might be evaluating their Digital Transformation initiatives. We will then explore the role that new ecosystem constructs and emerging business model measures might play in an increasingly digital world and ask the question: Is Digital Transformation a choice or a necessity?

Some selected reading:

• Burton-Jones, A et al (2020) Changing the conversation on evaluating digital transformation in healthcare: Insights from an institutional analysis. Information and Organisation, 30: 100255

10. The Political Economy of Digital Transformation 

In this session, we will explore the wider implications and (often unintended) consequences of digital transformations for the economy and society. Key questions that we will consider include the impact of digital transformation on competition, on working life (e.g., work-life balance), on the high street, on democratic politics and on family life. Finally, we will explore what this means for public policy and how the state seeks to manage and regulate an increasingly digital society.

Some selected reading:

• Crémer, J. de Montjoye, Y-A. and Schweitzer, H. (2019) Competition Policy for the digital era. Final report. Brussels: DG Competition. [Executive Summary page 1-11]
• Zuboff, S. (2015) Big other: surveillance capitalism and the prospects of an information civilisation, Journal of Information Technology, 30(1): 75-89.
• Schwarzmüller, T., Brosi, P., Duman, D.,. Welpe (I. M. (2018). How Does the Digital Transformation Affect Organisations? Key Themes of Change in Work Design and Leadership, Management Review, 28(2) 114 – 138. 

11. Digital Transformation Themes and Assessment Support 

In this concluding session, we will look to bring the various threads of the course together to explore, e.g., commonalities and differences in the roles that DT is playing across the sectors we have explored, and what it means for each of your specific interest areas.

Assessment

The module has both formative and summative assessments. Formative Assessment is designed to help you gauge your understanding at an early stage and to help you to focus on topics and skills where you may need to do more work. It is an assessment for learning.

Summative Assessment is designed to test your learning and contributes towards your marks for the module and your degree overall. It is an assessment of learning.

Formative Assessment

There are two pieces of Formative Assessment for the module. The formative assessments are optional.

Formative Assessment 1 (Optional): Selected Actor-Side Themes for Digital Transformation at UEA (week 6) 

• The first formative assessment task involves you creating a short 1-page outline of your plan. The plan should include: an overview of your choice of Digital Transformation themes from Nadkarni & Prügl’s Thematic Map, plus a short discussion of the elements from each of the themes and how they apply to the issue as defined in the summative assessment. These elements were discussed in lecture 2.
• This formative assessment task will help you start to prepare for the Summative Assessment by ensuring you are tackling the correct issues

Formative Assessment 2 (Optional): Business case for Digital Transformation (week 12)

• The second formative assessment task builds on Formative Assessment 1 and involves you creating a short (3 slides max) presentation of one of the elements you have chosen and how it could help to address the problem as defined in the summative brief.
• This is to check that you are addressing the issues in a manner sufficiently critical to produce a convincing analysis of UEA’s Digital Transformation.
• Please note: if you are not presenting, you are not to attend this session.

Summative Assessment

There is one piece of summative assessment, which is worth 100% of the total marks for this module.

• Summative Assignment 1: You will write an individual 3,000-word (max) report outlining how Digital Transformation at UEA could be enhanced by attention to selected Actor-Side issues from Nadkarni & Prügl’s Thematic Map.
• Problem: The Educational Technologist at UEA is continually looking to introduce new and disruptive learning technologies into the university to improve the delivery and quality of teaching. However, it is not as simple as implementing technologies. There is a range of systemic and environmental issues that may hinder the effective implementation of such technologies.
• Context: UEA and the Education sector are going through a very difficult period with dwindling resources and a shrinking pool of home students and considerable uncertainty and volatility in the international markets. There is also the problem of the university having recently lost its Vice Chancellor and awaiting a permanent replacement (Prof Maguire is the temporary replacement), and this has added to a lack of a clear vision and future direction for the university. Although UEA has very recently published its “2030 Vision”, it is very much in development and a work in progress. Finally, there is a perceived desire not to have a university environment that is too restrictive to the UEA academics, who thrive on having the freedom to work in the way that best suits their needs.
• Your Task: Is to consider two of the four “Actor-side” themes from Nadkarni and Prügl’s Thematic Map of Digital Transformation that you believe would help to address its Digital Transformation ambitions. From each of the “themes” chosen, you should choose up to two of the elements to explore. You must explore three elements in total (two from one theme and one from another). As an example, in Company Culture, you might choose Building on knowledge management & deep cultural change and a Culture of rapid experimentation and prototyping is required to look at how addressing these two elements could help to Digitally Transform UEA into an organisation which is well set up to adopt disruptive learning technologies most effectively and efficiently.
• You will be expected to explore these elements critically and provide the best available evidence from the academic and professional literature to support your work. Try and look for examples from best practice elsewhere (or worst practice to avoid), particularly other universities or organisations with comparable environments. For example, if you chose those elements mentioned above, you might look for examples of where a successful knowledge management strategy in another institution facilitated a more effective implementation of technologies because the organisation was able to create an effective learning environment.
• Ultimately, what you are aiming to do is to provide a critical account of three elements that, if implemented at UEA, would help to improve its Digital Transformation programme, given the challenges it faces. You need to ensure that these elements are described with respect to the problems listed above in the context. In other words, if I cannot see any relationship between what you are saying and the current environment at UEA, you will not get good marks.
• Reserve at least 10% of your work for the inclusion of actionable recommendations explaining
  who should do what and why.
• Layout: Please separate your discussion of each element into separate sections.
• State any assumptions you have made.
• Summative Assessment 1 will be supported by a ‘drop-in’ session (13 May; 9-11 am). Please note, I will not read drafts of the assignments.

You can find the feedback form for the formative and summative assessments below so you can see how your work will be marked. For more information on marking, see the university’s approved Senate Scales, which can be found on the NBS-7099B Blackboard site under Summative Assessment.

NBS-7099B Coursework Feedback Sheet (FA1/FA2)

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NBS-7099B Coursework Feedback Sheet (SA1)

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