Ha eez, Shahid; Shahzad, Khu am; Helo, Pe i; Muba ak, Muhammad Fa az
A icle
Knowledge managemen and SMEs' digi al
ans o ma ion: A sys ema ic li e a u e e iew and u u e
esea ch agenda
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge (JIK)
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Sugges ed Ci a ion: Ha eez, Shahid; Shahzad, Khu am; Helo, Pe i; Muba ak, Muhammad Fa az
(2025) : Knowledge managemen and SMEs' digi al ans o ma ion: A sys ema ic li e a u e e iew
and u u e esea ch agenda, Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge (JIK), ISSN 2444-569X, Else ie ,
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Knowledge managemen and SMEs’digi al ans o ma ion: A sys ema ic
li e a u e e iew and u u e esea ch agenda
Shahid Ha eez
a,b,*
, Khu am Shahzad
a,b
, Pe i Helo
a
, Muhammad Fa az Muba ak
c,d
a
School o Technology and Inno a ions, Uni e si y o Vaasa, Wol in ie 32, 65200 Vaasa, Finland
b
Inno a ion and En ep eneu ship InnoLab, Uni e si y o Vaasa, Yliopis on an a 2, 65200 Vaasa, Finland
c
Facul y o Compu e Science, Dalhousie Uni e si y, Hali ax, No a Sco ia, Canada
d
Facul y o Economics and Managemen , Vy au as Magnus Uni e si y, Kaunas, Li huania
ARTICLE INFO
JEL classi ica ion:
032
033
036
Q55
Keywo ds:
SMEs
Digi al ans o ma ion
Knowledge explo a ion
Knowledge exploi a ion
Ecosys em
Pla o m
Sys ema ic li e a u e e iew
Capabili ies
Knowledge managemen
ABSTRACT
This s udy aims o iden i y and explain di e en collabo a i e app oaches, delinea e ex e nal ac o s’ oles, and
examine he in e play be ween knowledge explo a ion and exploi a ion p ocesses o digi al ans o ma ion. We
conduc ed a sea ch o academic pape s using esea ch e ms such as “Digi al*, Digi al ans o *, indus y 4.0
(I4.0), indus y 5.0, knowledge explo a ion, knowledge acquisi ion, ecosys em collabo a ion*, knowledge ne -
wo ks, and open inno a ion”in bo h he Scopus and Web o Science da abases. Al oge he , 108 pape s me he
c i e ia (e.g., ABS 2 &2+ anking o jou nals, only jou nal pape s, and ocusing on small- and medium-size
en e p ises (SMEs) digi al ans o ma ion) o conduc ing a sys ema ic li e a u e e iew in his esea ch. The
esul s indica e ha ex e nal ac o s play speci ic oles in suppo ing SMEs’digi al ans o ma ion. We ound ha
cus ome s and supplie s push and encou age SMEs in hei digi al ans o ma ion, while coope i ion can elici
g ea e echnological bene i s o SMEs wi h close echnological and economic p oximi y. In e media ies p o ide
knowledge-b oke ing se ices, acili a e inno a ion p ocesses, and enable echnology ans e and capaci y-
building o SMEs’digi al ans o ma ion. Go e nmen ini ia i es, such as a o able policymaking and inan-
cial suppo , a e impo an in p omo ing and acili a ing a collabo a i e en i onmen o echnology de elop-
men among SMEs. This s udy’s esul s p esen wo dis inc collabo a i e mechanisms ha SMEs can u ilize o
digi al ans o ma ion: (I) co e alue chain and ne wo k ac o s’collabo a ions, which p o ide linea p ocesses
o knowledge explo a ion and exploi a ion, and (II) ecosys em and inno a ion pla o m-based collabo a ions, in
which SMEs adop he ambidex ous app oach as a nonlinea p ocess o knowledge explo a ion and exploi a ion
o digi al ans o ma ion. Ce ain o ganiza ional-le el ac o s (o ganiza ional capabili ies, mic o- ounda ions,
ope a ional capabili ies, o ganiza ion s a egies, and cul u e) a e impo an o SMEs’knowledge exploi a ion
in digi al ans o ma ion. The s udy also p esen s an in eg a ed amewo k and o e s di ec ions o u u e
esea ch and impo an insigh s o p ac i ione s.
In oduc ion
SMEs a e esponsible o la ge-scale employmen and con ibu e
signi ican ly o mos coun ies’GDP (Kuma e al., 2020). Du ing he las
wo decades, a ious exogenous ex e nal shocks ha e caused dis up ions
in he con empo a y business en i onmen . Due o lexible and agile
o ganiza ional s uc u es, SMEs a e be e a adap ing o such dis up-
ions (Chan e al., 2019). Howe e , hey ace a ious challenges in hei
inno a ion p ocesses, e.g., limi ed in e nal R&D capabili ies, esou ce
limi a ions, and a endency o ocus on sho - e m economic bene i s
(Mad id-Guija o e al., 2009). Recen digi al wa es ha e posed new
challenges o SMEs o conFig. ways o implemen and u ilize digi al
echnologies in hei business p ocesses, o e ings, and business models
(Kuma e al., 2020). Digi al echnologies a e changing he compe i i e
landscape a a b eakneck pace (Mahmood e al., 2020). E ec i e u ili-
za ion o digi al echnologies leads o ganiza ions o ha e supe io
o ganiza ional pe o mance and ou pace hei compe i o s. Thus,
implemen a ion and u iliza ion o digi al echnologies a e becoming
indispensable o SMEs o achie e p ocess e iciency, educe ope a ing
cos s, achie e sus ainabili y a ge s, de elop new p oduc s, o e new
* Co esponding au ho .
E-mail add esses: [email p o ec ed] (S. Ha eez), [email p o ec ed] (K. Shahzad), [email p o ec ed] (P. Helo), [email p o ec ed]
(M.F. Muba ak).
Con en s lis s a ailable a ScienceDi ec
Jou nal o Inno a ion &Knowledge
jou nal homepage: www.else ie .com/loca e/jik
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.jik.2025.100728
Recei ed 17 Oc obe 2024; Accep ed 6 May 2025
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 10 (2025) 100728
2
se ices (P is e &Lehman, 2023), and c ea e digi ally enabled
p oduc -se ice sys ems (Gao e al., 2023). The e o e, digi al ans-
o ma ion is de ined as “SMEs’p og ession om con e ing i m p o-
cesses o digi al o m o in eg a ing digi al echnologies in o p oduc s
and se ices, and inally, ans o ming en i e business models”(Soluk &
Kamme lande , 2021).
Conside ing apid echnological ad ancemen s, esea che s s udy
o ganiza ional ac o s (e.g., cul u e, inno a ion s a egies, leade ship,
social capi al) (Khin &Kee, 2022), mic o- ounda ions (Ch is o i e al.,
2024), dynamic capabili ies (Del Giudice e al., 2021), and knowledge
managemen sys ems (AL-Kha ib e al., 2024) ela ed o he digi al
ans o ma ion o SMEs. Simila ly, a ious heo e ical amewo ks ha e
been u ilized o examine digi al ans o ma ion, including he
esou ce-based iew (Chung &Kim, 2023;Radic e al., 2019), he dy-
namic capabili ies amewo k (Scuo o e al., 2023), he
echnology-o ganiza ion-en i onmen amewo k (Shukla &Shanka ,
2022), and he knowledge-based iew (Comacchio e al., 2012;Ricci
e al., 2021;Yao e al., 2020). Al hough hese amewo ks p o ide
aluable insigh s, he knowledge-based iew (KBV) has ecen ly gained
popula i y among in o ma ion sys ems and inno a ion managemen
esea che s. The p ima y ac o con ibu ing o KBV accep abili y is he
abili y o he amewo k o elucida e he c i ical na u e o ex e nal and
in e nal echnological knowledge managemen o he digi al ans-
o ma ion (Haug e al., 2023;Ricci e al., 2021). Indeed, e e ing o
li e a u e on SMEs’inno a ion p ocesses, s udies documen ha hese
o ganiza ions ely ex ensi ely on ex e nal s akeholde s o new knowl-
edge o o e come hei knowledge limi a ions, de elop and enhance
hei capabili ies, en ision a ising oppo uni ies and challenges, and be
be e p epa ed o de eloping inno a ion solu ions (Ha eez e al., 2025;
Shahzad e al., 2025;Tibe ius e al., 2021). Knowledge explo a ion and
exploi a ion p ocesses a e key o SMEs’inno a ions. Recen s udies ha e
explo ed he linkage be ween SMEs’knowledge dep h and b ead h o
Indus y 4.0 adop ion (Haug e al., 2023;Ricci e al., 2021). Despi e he
ea ly e o s in unde s anding he SMEs’ echnological knowledge
acquisi ion and i s signi icance o echnology implemen a ion, he e
emains a s ong need o u he esea ch o explo e he in e play be-
ween explo a i e app oaches and exploi a i e mechanisms o ech-
nological knowledge explo a ion and exploi a ion (O landi, 2016).
Re lec ing upon he exis ing li e a u e e iews, we acknowledge ha
s udies ha e highligh ed he an eceden s and con ibu ing ac o s o
digi al ans o ma ion in SMEs. Fo ins ance, Ansha i e al. (2022)
highligh ed ha digi al ecosys em eadiness and local go e nmen
suppo a e essen ial enable s o he adop ion o Indus y 4.0 echnol-
ogies among Indonesian SMEs. Slimane e al. (2022) delinea e ha in-
e nal o ganiza ional ac o s such as digi al in as uc u es, p ocesses,
digi al manage s, and managemen o ien a ion o o ganiza ional change
a e key enable s in he digi al ans o ma ion o SMEs. Ma ino-Rome o
e al. (2024) explain he in e connec ion be ween o ganiza ional digi al
o ien a ion, agili y o espond o ex e nal dis up ions, and digi al
ans o ma ion managemen . Ramdani e al. (2022) p esen ed a lis o
en i onmen al an eceden s, in e nal o ganiza ional ac o s, and capa-
bili ies o de elop digi al inno a ions. Mele e al. (2024) e iew
emphasized he signi icance o SMEs’in e nal dynamic capabili ies in
sensing, seizing, and adap ing o digi al oppo uni ies and ex e nal
echnological knowledge o e ec i e digi al ans o ma ion.
The e e ed s udies highligh he impo ance o o ganiza ional and
indi idual-le el capabili ies o con ex ualize he ex e nally a ailable
new echnological knowledge. To he bes o ou knowledge, no p io
esea ch has explici ly ocused on a sys ema ic syn hesis o li e a u e
ha u ilizes a KBV amewo k ha ou lines he complex ela ionships
and in e play be ween SMEs’ echnological knowledge explo a i e ap-
p oaches and exploi a i e mechanisms o digi al ans o ma ion. The
need o ou esea ch is u he jus i ied by he call o u u e esea ch by
Ramdani e al. (2022) and Haug e al. (2023) o explo e mechanisms and
app oaches ha suppo SMEs in hei ques o he implemen a ion o
eme ging echnologies o de eloping digi al inno a ions and enabling
digi al ans o ma ion. Table 1 summa izes exis ing li e a u e e iews
and hei limi a ions in he con ex o knowledge managemen o digi al
ans o ma ion.
In his con ex , a sys ema ic syn hesis o exis ing li e a u e can
con ibu e signi ican ly o he academic communi y’s unde s anding by
p o iding a comp ehensi e amewo k explaining he in e play be ween
SMEs’knowledge explo a i e app oaches and in e nal mechanisms o
in e nalize and u ilize he acqui ed knowledge o digi al ans-
o ma ion. S udying he ex e nal knowledge explo a ion and exploi a-
ion p ocess is highly in e es ing, as he ield is challenging o analyze
and SMEs a e less anspa en ; hus, a sys ema ic li e a u e e iew helps
ind new insigh s. Ou indings sugges ha SME ha e wo dis inc
collabo a i e models: (I) co e alue chain and ne wo k ac o s’collabo-
a ions, and (II) ecosys em and inno a ion pla o m-based collabo a-
ions. Findings indica e ha he na u e o collabo a ions, ela ionships
among ac o s, exchange o knowledge and esou ces, and dependencies
among ac o s a y be ween he wo collabo a i e models, a ec ing
SMEs’capaci y o acqui e, in e nalize, and u ilize echnological
knowledge o hei digi al ans o ma ion. Ou s udy con ibu ion lies
in p esen ing wo collabo a i e models o SMEs’ echnological knowl-
edge explo a ion and exploi a ion h ough he lens o a KBV. Findings
also sugges ha ex e nal ac o s such as cus ome s, supplie s, in e me-
dia y o ganiza ions, and compe i o s play speci ic oles in SMEs’digi al
ans o ma ion. Ou s udy answe s he ollowing h ee o e a ching
esea ch ques ions.
R.Q-1: How do SMEs explo e and acqui e ex e nal echnological
knowledge?
R.Q-2: How do SMEs in e nalize and u ilize he ex e nally explo ed
echnological knowledge o digi al ans o ma ion?
R.Q-3: Wha a e he u u e esea ch guidelines based on his li e a u e
e iew?
The emaining body o he pape is s uc u ed in o i e sec ions:
e iew planning and me hodology, indings, discussion, conclusions,
limi a ions, and u u e esea ch di ec ions.
Re iew planning and me hodology
Asys ema ic li e a u e e iew (SLR) is “a e iew o a o mula ed
ques ion ha uses sys ema ic and explici me hods o iden i y, selec ,
and c i ically app aise ele an esea ch, and o collec and analyze da a
om he s udies included in he e iew”(Mohe e al., 2009, p. 264).
This de ini ion asse s ha answe ing a esea ch ques ion h ough SLR
mus be suppo ed by sys ema ic and igo ous me hods o iden i y,
selec , and e alua e he ele an li e a u e. The SLR is iewed as an
app op ia e app oach o iden i y key indings in he li e a u e, delinea e
ela ionships among di e en ac o s, conduc an in-dep h e alua ion o
he li e a u e on he opic, and o e conc e e u u e esea ch di ec ions
(Paul &Beni o, 2018;Snyde , 2019;Webs e &Wa son, 2002).
Re lec ing on ou esea ch objec i es, which aim o explo e he in e play
be ween SMEs’knowledge o explo a o y and exploi a i e app oaches
o implemen ing echnologies o de elop echnological solu ions, we
ound he SLR o be he mos ele an esea ch app oach o help us
conduc a igo ous, sys ema ic app aisal o he ex an li e a u e o
delinea e complex ela ionships embedded in knowledge explo a ion
and exploi a ion o echnological ad ancemen s. Paul and Beni o
(2018),Webs e and Wa son (2002), and Snyde (2019) sugges ed ou
phases o conduc ing SLRs: designing, conduc ing, analyzing, s uc-
u ing & epo ing. We ollowed his ou -s ep p ocedu e o conduc his
SLR. Figu e 1 p esen s he phases and componen s o each phase
conside ed while conduc ing an SLR.
Designing and conduc ing he e iew
The i s s ep in he design phase is o iden i y he need and de ine he
SLR’s con ibu ion. SLRs a e well-s uc u ed app oaches o summa izing
li e a u e and gaining a deep unde s anding o he phenomena unde
S. Ha eez e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 10 (2025) 100728
3
in es iga ion. Du ing he planning phase, i is ine i able o esea che s
o e iew ex an esea ch c i ically o ensu e ha a conc e e need exis s
o conduc an SLR ha will help enhance unde s anding o he ele an
academic communi y, p ac i ione s, o policymake s signi ican ly
(Snyde , 2019). Thus, jus i ying he need o an SLR s ems om he
limi a ions o ex an esea ch ega ding inconclusi e e idence, con a-
dic o y indings om ex an esea ch, and a lack o a amewo k o
academics and p ac i ione s o guide hem on speci ic phenomena. In
his con ex o cu en esea ch, de ails on jus i ica ions and a ionale o
conduc ing his SLR a e p o ided in he in oduc ion sec ion, in which
we explici ly explain he limi a ions o ex an esea ch, linking i o a
clea li e a u e gap and highligh ing he need o u he esea ch on he
knowledge explo a ion and exploi a ion p ocess in SMEs o digi al
ans o ma ion. Fu he mo e, we iden i ied wo models based on
di e en collabo a i e mechanisms and exploi a i e s a egies ha
SMEs u ilize o knowledge explo a ion and exploi a ion. Such con i-
bu ions a e much-needed because he amewo ks, on one hand,
con ibu e o he li e a u e on in o ma ion sys ems and business man-
agemen , and on he o he hand, p o ide p ac ical implica ions o SME
managemen in selec ing and p io i izing di e en collabo a i e mech-
anisms, ailo ed o hei inno a ion goals and in e nal capabili ies. We
aimed o achie e hese objec i es by answe ing he h ee esea ch
ques ions (please see he in oduc ion sec ion).
The ele an li e a u e sea ch began by de ining he concep ual
bounda ies o key concep s examined in he esea ch. The p ima y
cons uc s in ou esea ch a e knowledge explo a ion, exploi a ion o
digi aliza ion, and digi al ans o ma ion. The knowledge explo a ion
p ocess has been desc ibed as SMEs’new knowledge sea ch, exchange, c e-
a ion, and acquisi ion h ough di e en collabo a ions. Knowledge exploi-
a ion is he in e naliza ion and u iliza ion o acqui ed knowledge o digi al
ans o ma ion. The de ini ion o digi al ans o ma ion in his s udy was
adop ed om Soluk and Kamme lande (2021):“SMEs’p og ession
om con e ing i m p ocesses o digi al o ms, in eg a ing digi al
echnologies in o p oduc s and se ices, and ans o ming en i e busi-
ness models”.
As o a de ini ion o SMEs, we ound a ying de ini ions based on
numbe o employees and u no e . Fo example, he Eu opean Union
(2015) classi ies business o ganiza ions wi h 1–250 employees as SMEs,
while in he Uni ed S a es, he Small Business Adminis a ion classi ies
o ganiza ions wi h less han 500 employees as SMEs. The same goes o
he Middle Eas and Fa Eas , whe e SMEs a e o ganiza ions wi h ewe
han 500 employees. The e o e, i is di icul o ind a uni e sal de ini ion o
SMEs, so we used 500 employees as a cu -o poin o SMEs o widen he
s udy’s scope.
De ining he concep ual bounda ies is a sys ema ic s ep in de el-
oping he e iew p o ocol, as he p ocess helps esea che s iden i y
limi s and map co e concep s o he esea ch. Resea che s ha e con-
ended ha e iewing p o ocol documen a ion is c i ical o main aining
conduc ed s udies’ alidi y and eliabili y (To acco, 2016). The e iew
p o ocol helps esea che s map ou key concep s in he e iew and limi s
esea che bias du ing di e en s ages o conduc ing he SLR (Ali e al.,
Table 1
O e iew o exis ing li e a u e e iew on digi al ans o ma ion in SMEs.
Au ho s S udy Focus Key Themes Limi a ions &
Resea ch Gap
Ansha i e al.
(2022)
Open inno a ion
s a egies o
SMEs’digi al
ans o ma ion
- The posi i e link
be ween digi al
ecosys em
eadiness o I4.0
adop ion
- Rele ance o
Knowledge
managemen o
open inno a ion
implemen a ion
- Go e nmen as a
p o ec o o
ma ke
egula ions
- Lack o analysis
o echnological
knowledge
explo a ion and
exploi a ion
- Limi ed o he
Indonesian
con ex
Slimane e al.
(2022)
In eg a ed
amewo k and
manage ial
dimensions o a
digi al
ans o ma ion
s a egy
- Digi al
in as uc u e and
digi al manage
ele ance o
digi al
ans o ma ion
- Recon igu a ion
o o ganiza ional
and manage ial
mechanisms
- Top Managemen
is esponsible o
digi al change
managemen
- Shallow analysis
o he ele ance
o knowledge
managemen o
DT
Ghobakhloo
e al. (2022)
Iden i y
in luencing
ac o s o I4.0
adop ion
- Technological
de e minan s
- O ganiza ional
de e minan s
- En i onmen al
de e minan s
- I4.0 adop ion
oadmap
- Despi e
explaining
en i onmen al
de e minan s,
esea ch lacks an
in-dep h e alua-
ion o SMEs’
a ious in-
e ac ions and
hei ele ance
o adop ing I4.0
echnologies.
Ramdani e al.
(2022)
Syn hesis o
esea ch on
digi al
inno a ions
O e iew o :
- Digi al
echnologies
- Theo ies o
Digi al
Inno a ions
- Con ex ual and
o ganiza ional
ac o s o digi al
inno a ions
- Lacks in-dep h
analysis o show
how SMEs
in e ac wi h
ex e nal ac o s,
and wha hei
ole is in digi al
ans o ma ion
Mele e al.
(2024)
Knowledge-
based dynamic
capabili ies o
digi al
ans o ma ion
- Mic o- ounda ion
o dynamic
capabili ies
- Dynamic
capabili ies o
alue c ea ion
- Dynamic
capabili ies o
- Digi al ansi ion
- Dynamic
capabili ies o
‘‘da a-d i en
o ganiza ions
- Dynamic
capabili ies o
digi al
ans o ma ion in
SMEs and amily
i ms
- Lack o de ails
on how SMEs
le e age hei
ex e nal
ne wo ks o
acqui e ele an
knowledge and
wha kind o
suppo hey
ecei e om
ex e nal ac o s
- Missing de ails
on he in ica e
p ocess o
knowledge
explo a ion o
exploi a ion o
digi al
ans o ma ion.
Ma ino-Rome o
e al. (2024)
O ien a ion o
digi al
ans o ma ion
in he
- Digi al
ans o ma ion
p omo es agili y
- Lack o
analy ical dep h
in le e aging
dynamic
Table 1 (con inued)
Au ho s S udy Focus Key Themes Limi a ions &
Resea ch Gap
managemen
and
o ganiza ional
p ocesses
in o ganiza ional
p ocesses.
- De elopmen o
digi al
capabili ies
- S a egies o
scaling up digi al
echnologies
knowledge
acquisi ion and
in e naliza ion
capabili ies.
- P o ide a
bibliome ic
o e iew o he
s udies, wi h a
missing
sys ema ic
li e a u e
analysis.
S. Ha eez e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 10 (2025) 100728
4
2023). In ou esea ch, we ocused on concep s ela ed o knowledge
explo a ion and i s exploi a ion in SMEs’digi aliza ion and digi al
ans o ma ion (Figu e 2 p esen s he concep ual amewo k o
keywo d selec ion). The knowledge explo a ion p ocess includes
di e en ypes o SME collabo a ion wi h ex e nal ac o s, such as supply
chain collabo a ions, in e o ganiza ional collabo a ions,
uni e si y-indus y collabo a ions, open inno a ion, ne wo k collabo-
a ions, ecosys em collabo a ions, and, mos ecen ly, pla o m-based
collabo a ions. The knowledge exploi a ion p ocess comp ises wo
s ages: i s , knowledge in e naliza ion, and second, i s u iliza ion o
di e en ou comes. Ou esea ch ocuses on explo ing in e nal ac o s,
capabili ies, and o ganiza ional s a egies ha suppo knowledge
in e naliza ion and he success ul u iliza ion o echnological solu ions.
Thus, based on he e iew p o ocol, we s a ed sea ching o ele an
concep s in op jou nals in in o ma ion sys ems managemen , business,
and economics due o he opic’s mul idisciplina y na u e. A e exam-
ining 20 esea ch pape s on he opic, we compiled an ini ial lis o
keywo d sea ches ha we conduc ed in he Scopus and Web o Science
da abases. Webs e and Wa son (2002) ecommend his echnique, as i
helps esea che s map ou he opic and ind he mos ele an key e ms
om he leading body o li e a u e on he gi en opic.
Du ing he nex s ep, we consul ed one ex e nal expe in he ield on
his keywo d combina ion based on Ali e al. (2023) and Slimane e al.
(2022). Using hese expe s’ ecommenda ions, we upda ed he sea ch
que y and conduc ed ano he li e a u e sea ch. Selec ing sea ch e ms is
an ongoing p ocess, so wo esea ch eam membe s conduc ed sepa a e
sea ch que ies wi h lis s o sea ch e ms. Du ing he inal s ep, bo h
esea che s compiled a inal lis o sea ch e ms and conduc ed li e a u e
Fig. 1. Phases o conduc ing a SLR.
Fig. 2. The concep ual amewo k o keywo d selec ion.
S. Ha eez e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 10 (2025) 100728
5
sea ches in he Scopus and Web o Science da abases. O he esea che s
ha e a gued ha selec ing a da abase o a li e a u e sea ch is cen al o
eaching ou o ele an esea ch, pa icula ly while conduc ing e iew
s udies (Snyde , 2019;Webs e &Wa son, 2002). In his ega d, one
esea che explained ha Scopus is a comp ehensi e da abase ha
con ains he mos signi ican numbe o indexed jou nals (Snyde ,
2019). Howe e , o he esea che s sugges ed ha au ho s should
include a leas wo da abases o b oaden co e age o included da a
(Ramdani e al., 2022;P is e &Lehmann, 2023). The e o e, we chose
Scopus and Web o Science o he li e a u e sea ch o ensu e a b oade
ange o da a o ou e iew and educe he isk o omi ing impo an
esea ch. The inal keywo d combina ion and que y a e p o ided in
Table 2.
Du ing he ini ial sea ch, we ound 848 ele an esea ch pape s
(485 in Scopus; 363 in Web o Science). Aside om sea ching o li e -
a u e on da abases, we also back acked ci a ions om he esul ing
pape s and supplemen ed da a h ough a manual Google Schola sea ch.
We sea ched o ele an li e a u e in op- ie and leading business
managemen and in o ma ion sys ems jou nals. Webs e and Wa son
(2002) sugges ed his sea ch echnique, which is bene icial in iden i-
ying signi ican con ibu ions in he esea ch ield. The manual sea ch
was conduc ed on Associa ion o Business Schools (ABS)- anked (Le els
2 and 2+) jou nals’homepages. Al oge he , 50 a icles we e ound in a
manual sea ch on Google Schola and om back acking ci a ions.
Howe e , we we e le wi h 752 pee - e iewed empi ical pape s a e
duplica es we e emo ed. We na owed he e iew scope by de ining
inclusion and exclusion c i e ia. Due o he opic’s in e disciplina y
na u e, we sea ched o esea ch pape s ac oss di e en ields o s udy, i.
e., compu e science, ope a ions esea ch, decision science, business,
and managemen . A simila app oach has been p o en bene icial in
Robey e al. (2000). We included only pape s published in English
du ing he 2004–2024 pe iod. We ocused only on esea ch pape s
published in pee - e iewed jou nals, excluding con e ence p oceedings
and book chap e s. This is impo an because mos con e ence p o-
ceedings and book chap e s a e published wi hou c i ical e alua ions
(Si a ajah e al., 2017). Fu he mo e, we excluded concep ual, edi o ial,
and li e a u e e iew pape s. We ocused only on pape s wi h p ac ical
esea ch designs because we wan ed o ocus on backing ou indings
wi h empi ical e idence. Finally, we only chose pape s published in
ABS- anked jou nals (Le els 2, 3, 4, and 4*) o wo easons: Fi s , we
aimed o build his s udy’s indings based on leading wo k in he ield.
Second, such a c i e ion helped keep he sample size manageable
wi hou omi ing ele an wo k (Calab `
o e al., 2019). A e applying
ABS c i e ia, back acking ci a ions, and manual sea ches, we had a o al
o 364 pape s ha we e selec ed o u he c i e ia checks. Du ing he
inal s ep, we checked pape s o hei ele ance o ou esea ch goals, i.
e., he pape mus discuss knowledge explo a ion o exploi a ion
p ocesses pe inen o echnological implemen a ion, upg ada ion,
echnological inno a ions, echnological u iliza ion, echnological
de elopmen , echnological ans e , o de elopmen o echnological
solu ions (p oduc s, se ices, o business models). Table 3 documen s
he c i e ia checklis :
A e applying he quali y and eligibili y c i e ia, 108 s udies quali-
ied as he s udy’s inal sample. Figu e 3 p esen s a PRISMA low dia-
g am explaining he iden i ica ion, sc eening, eligibili y, and selec ion
p ocesses o esea ch pape s included in he s udy’s inal sample.
Conduc ing he analyses
The da a analysis was conduc ed sys ema ically in a ecu si e p o-
cess u ilizing NVi o so wa e, VOS iewe so wa e, and manual eading
o pape s. We conduc ed keywo d and au ho co-occu ence ne wo k
mapping du ing he i s phase using VOS iewe , which helped us map
he in e ela ed clus e o s udies and ind he mos in luen ial au ho s in
he esea ch a ea (Fig.s a e p o ided in he appendix). We hen manually
ead he mos ci ed ele an pape s comp ising 10% o he o al sample.
This p ocess enabled us o inc ease ou unde s anding o concep s,
hemes, and heo e ical amewo ks u ilized in he con ex o he
esea ched opic. A e manually eading he ull pape s, we compiled an
ini ial lis o ac o s o he da a ex ac ion o m. Du ing he nex s age,
we used NVi o so wa e o conduc au oma ic code que ies on all pa-
pe s. Such a que y is men ioned as a p e-coding p ocess (Banda a e al.,
Table 2
Final keywo ds combina ion and que y.
Final que y 22.04.2024:
Scopus:
TITLE-ABS-KEY (("Digi al inno*" OR "Digi al Tech*" OR "Digi al*" OR "ICT" OR " echnolog*" OR "Indus y 4.0" OR "Indus y 5.0" OR "sma echnolog*" OR "digi al in eg a ion" OR
"business in elligence" OR "Big da a" OR "da a capabili *") AND ("knowledge exchange" OR "knowledge sea ch" OR "knowledge sha ing" OR "knowledge explo a ion" OR "knowledge
acquisi ion" OR "knowledge ecei ing" OR "knowledge exploi a ion" OR "knowledge u iliza ion" OR "knowledge in eg a ion" OR "ecosys em collabo a ions" OR "open inno a ion" OR
"business ecosys em" OR "knowledge ecosys em" OR "inno a ion ecosys em" OR "en ep eneu ial ecosys em" OR " echnological ecosys em" OR "digi al ecosys em" OR "se ice
ecosys em" OR "knowledge ne wo k*" OR "business ne wo k*" OR "co-c ea *" OR "co c ea *" OR "collabo a i e inno a ion" OR "co-inno a *" OR "co inno a *") AND ("SME*" OR
"Small medium en e p is*")) AND PUBYEAR >2003 AND PUBYEAR <2025 AND (LIMIT-TO (SUBJAREA, "BUSI") OR LIMIT-TO (SUBJAREA, "COMP") OR LIMIT-TO (SUBJAREA,
"ENGI")) AND (LIMIT-TO (DOCTYPE, "a ")) AND (LIMIT-TO (LANGUAGE, "English"))
Web o Science:
("Digi al inno*" OR "Digi al Tech*" OR "Digi al*" OR "ICT" OR " echnolog*" OR "Indus y 4.0" OR "Indus y 5.0" OR "sma echnolog*" OR "digi al in eg a ion" OR "business
in elligence" OR "Big da a" OR "da a capabili *") AND ("knowledge exchange" OR "knowledge sea ch" OR "knowledge sha ing" OR "knowledge explo a ion" OR "knowledge
acquisi ion" OR "knowledge ecei ing" OR "knowledge exploi a ion" OR "knowledge u iliza ion" OR "knowledge in eg a ion" OR "ecosys em collabo a ions" OR "open inno a ion" OR
"business ecosys em" OR "knowledge ecosys em" OR "inno a ion ecosys em" OR "en ep eneu ial ecosys em" OR " echnological ecosys em" OR "digi al ecosys em" OR "se ice
ecosys em" OR "knowledge ne wo k*" OR "business ne wo k*" OR "co-c ea *" OR "co c ea *" OR "collabo a i e inno a ion" OR "co-inno a *" OR "co inno a *") AND ("SME*" OR
"Small medium en e p is*") (All Fields) and Ea ly Access o Re iew A icle o P oceeding Pape o Re ac ed Publica ion (Exclude –Documen Types) and Edi o ial Ma e ial o Book
Re iew o Co ec ion o Mee ing Abs ac (Exclude –Documen Types) and Managemen o Business o Compu e Science In o ma ion Sys ems o Enginee ing Manu ac u ing o
Mul idisciplina y Sciences (Web o Science Ca ego ies) and English (Languages)
Table 3
Eligibili y c i e ia.
Inclusion c i e ia Exclusion c i e ia
ABS Rankings o Jou nal: 2, 3, 4, &4* ABS Rankings o he jou nal: below 2
Publica ion Type: Pee - e iewed
esea ch a icles
Publica ion Type: Book chap e s,
con e ence p oceedings
Yea s: 2004–2024 Yea s: Less han 20 yea s old &a icles in
he p ess
Me hodology: Quali a i e, quan i a i e,
mixed me hods
Me hodology: Re iew a icles, edi o ial,
and concep ual pape s
Con en : A icles ha p ima ily ocus on
echnology adop ion, implemen a ion,
and u iliza ion, and he ole o
knowledge o collabo a ions
Con en : A icles ha men ion
echnology ou comes only; a icles ha
men ion echnology u iliza ion bu a e
no ocused on knowledge and
collabo a ions; a icles ha ocus only on
in e nal o ganiza ional ac o s o
echnology adop ion and u iliza ion
Language: English Language: O he han English
Subjec : Business and Economics,
Compu e Science, In o ma ion
Sys ems, Decision Science,
Enginee ing Managemen
Subjec : O he han men ioned in he
inclusion c i e ia
S. Ha eez e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 10 (2025) 100728
6
2011) ha helps unde s and he mos impo an codes, keywo ds, and
concep s appea ing equen ly in he gi en pape s. U ilizing NVi o
du ing he e iew-w i ing p ocess can educe he possibili y o human
e o (Cha ez e al., 2022), as i s ea u es enable esea che s o cap u e,
code, e ie e, and analyze li e a u e in a single eposi o y (Banda a
e al., 2011). Mo eo e , he p e-coding p ocess helped us o m a b oade
pic u e o he e ie ed li e a u e and iden i y dominan codes in ou
sample pape s. By c ea ing a ma ix, NVi o also helped us unde s and
co-occu ence be ween he mos equen e ms. This p ocess supple-
men ed compila ion o da a ex ac ion o ms by p o iding an o e iew
o key eme ging e ms. Mo eo e , by o ming a wo d cloud in NVi o, we
ound ha collabo a ion, knowledge, inno a ion, echnological, and
capabili ies we e he mos equen ly used e ms in he selec ed pape s.
Such esul s alida e selec ed pape s’sui abili y o answe he esea ch
ques ions. Figu e 4 p esen s he wo d cloud.
Based on he ollowing s eps, we compiled a lis o codes o he da a
ex ac o m and conduc ed a manual sea ch o he inal coding o he
esul s. Following hese s eps ensu ed ha he esea che ’s biases we e
mi iga ed du ing he selec ion and analy ical p ocess. We compiled an
objec i e lis o codes o help us answe he esea ch ques ions. Figu e 5
p esen s an o e iew o he s eps ollowed du ing he da a analysis
s ages o he SLR.
S uc u e and epo ing
Desc ip ion o da a
The annual dis ibu ion o published a icles indica es ha he
impo ance o knowledge explo a ion and collabo a ions o digi al so-
lu ions de elopmen has inc eased o e he pas decade. As Figu e 6
indica es, be o e 2010, only i e esea ch pape s on his opic exis ed,
bu s a ing in 2011, an inc ease in publica ions can be obse ed, wi h
he highes numbe o publica ions, 18, in 2023, ollowed by 17 in 2022.
Thus, i is e iden ha he e has been a g owing in e es among e-
sea che s conce ning he p esen s udy’s opic. While he body o li e -
a u e on his opic has been g owing, we obse ed a dip in 2021, and
based on ou unde s anding and ex an esea ch, du ing he COVID-19
pandemic, esea che s and companies’ ocus shi ed owa d a aining
sho - e m esilience, a s a egy known as se ing he shocks o
dis up ion. This phenomenon hinde ed o ganiza ions and esea che s’
in es men s in esou ces o explo e, adop , and de elop new
Fig. 3. PRISMA low diag am.
Fig. 4. Wo d cloud o he mos equen e ms.
S. Ha eez e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 10 (2025) 100728
7
echnologies o imp o e exis ing p ocesses. The pandemic compelled
o ganiza ions o u ilize echnology in hei in e nal o ganiza ional
p ac ices, such as human esou ce managemen (HRM) and communi-
ca ion among eams and employees h ough online mee ing ools (e.g.,
MS Teams, Zoom, and Skype). Ou li e a u e sea ch did no include
pape s ha examined echnological de elopmen and u iliza ion in he
e y speci ic con ex o communica ion and HRM p ac ices. Ou a io-
nale is ha he scope o ou esea ch was limi ed o he collabo a i e
aspec o digi al ans o ma ion in SMEs, leading o omission o s udies
ha ocused me ely on o ganiza ional in e nal echnology adop ion in
HRM managemen and heal h and bio ech sec o companies.
Mo eo e , a desc ip i e da a analysis e eals ha Technological
Fo ecas ing and Social Change was he mos popula jou nal among e-
sea che s, publishing 11 pape s, ollowed by Technology Analysis and
S a egic Managemen and Techno a ion, wi h eigh pape s each. Simi-
la ly, he Jou nal o Business Resea ch and P oduc ion Planning and Con ol
published six pape s each. Figu e 7 p o ides an o e iew o jou nals
wi h he highes equency o published pape s on his opic,
demons a ing he mul i-disciplina y na u e o conduc ed esea ch ha
expands ac oss jou nals om di e en domains, e.g., s a egic man-
agemen , in o ma ion sys ems esea ch, inno a ion managemen , and
enginee ing managemen .
Findings
The da a analysis p ocess began wi h a e iew o he pape s lis ed in
NVi o, in which we compiled and ag eed on he lis o codes. A con en
analysis was conduc ed, and esea che s ead ull pape s while
analyzing he p oblem s a emen , li e a u e gap co e ed, esea ch
ques ion(s), objec i es, heo ies, concep ual amewo k, me hodology,
esul s, and each pape ’s con ibu ions. Based on he con en analysis,
we answe ed ou s udy esea ch ques ions:
R.Q-1: How do SMEs explo e and acqui e ex e nal echnological
knowledge?
R.Q-2: How do SMEs in e nalize and u ilize ex e nally explo ed echno-
logical knowledge o digi al ans o ma ion?
R.Q-3: Wha a e he u u e esea ch guidelines based on he li e a u e
e iew?
By ollowing he a o emen ioned esea ch me hods, we conduc ed a
de ailed analysis o he ele an li e a u e o answe he esea ch
ques ions pe inen o SMEs’ex e nal knowledge explo a ion. This
igo ous p ocess ensu ed ha hemes and esul s eme ged wi h accep -
able eliabili y and alidi y o achie e he s udy’s objec i es. The ind-
ings om he li e a u e indica e ha in he ex e nal business
en i onmen , SMEs collabo a e wi h di e en ac o s h ough a ious
mechanisms; he e o e, explo ing each ac o ’s ole and con ibu ion
u he is indispensable o unde s anding SMEs’knowledge explo a ion
p ocess. We also ound ha hese ac o s collabo a e h ough di e en
mechanisms, which we ca ego ized in o (I) co e alue and ne wo k ac-
o s’collabo a ions and (II) ecosys em and inno a ion pla o m
collabo a ions.
Ac o s’ oles and ac i i ies in SMEs’digi al ans o ma ion jou ney
Cus ome s, supplie s, and compe i o s
Ou in-dep h explo a ion o he li e a u e ecognized he impo an
ole played by cus ome s and supplie s du ing di e en phases o digi al
ans o ma ion wi hin SMEs. Re iew esul s indica e ha cus ome s can
be de e minan s o and ca alys s o digi al ans o ma ion wi hin SMEs.
Key playe s compel SMEs o adop echnological solu ions o main ain
Fig. 5. S eps ollowed du ing he da a analysis phase.
Fig. 6. Yea ’s dis ibu ion: Li e a u e sea ch conduc ed in Ap il 2024.
S. Ha eez e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 10 (2025) 100728
8
pa ne ships; howe e , ca alys s mo i a e and assis SMEs in imple-
men ing echnological solu ions o ealize addi ional bene i s and seize
oppo uni ies ha digi al echnologies p o ide. Bo h de e minan s and
ca alys s play essen ial oles in adop ion, implemen a ion, and u iliza-
ion o digi al echnologies. Cus ome s’de e minan ole d i es supplie
SMEs o explo e and adop echnological solu ions, leading managemen
o synch onize i s digi al sys ems wi h he b oade supply chain.
Cus ome demands inc ease SMEs’ echnological, manage ial, and
ope a ional eadiness o implemen ing I4.0 echnologies (Gu ie ez
e al., 2015;S en o e al., 2021). Es enso o e al. (2022) explained ha
echnology non-implemen o s mainly lacked cus ome s’push o ech-
nology adop ion. Cus ome demand o echnology implemen a ion is
one o he majo igge s o digi al ans o ma ion wi hin SMEs (Khin &
Kee, 2022), while a ailabili y o inancial suppo and unding ac s as an
explana o y ac o o he es ing and ial phases o new echnology
implemen a ion (Balles a e al., 2020). E en hough cus ome -supplie
ela ionships’de e minan na u e ac s as he igge o digi al ans-
o ma ion, echnology implemen a ion in such a con ex has been me
wi h ce ain challenges o SMEs, including limi ed inancial esou ces,
lack o o ganiza ional inno a ion and echnology implemen a ion s a-
egies (Hansen e al., 2024;Soluk &Kamme lande , 2021), lack o
o ganiza ional eadiness, and lack o needed suppo om cus ome s
(Sal ini e al., 2022). The e o e, he cus ome -supplie ela ionship’s
de e minan na u e has no been discussed widely in he digi al ans-
o ma ion li e a u e. Ins ead, mos esea che s ha e ocused on he
ca alys ’s na u e o cus ome -supplie ela ionships o digi al ans-
o ma ion in SMEs.
The ca alys na u e o ela ionships en ices cus ome s and supplie s
o wo k closely oge he and collabo a e in implemen ing and u ilizing
digi al echnologies o seize a ious oppo uni ies a ising in hei busi-
ness en i onmen s. No ably, digi al ans o ma ion h ough such col-
labo a ions is no limi ed o g asping new oppo uni ies. Mo i a ion o
collabo a ions can a y, om inc easing supply chain pe o mance
(Scuo o e al., 2017) and o ganiza ional pe o mance (Radicic e al.,
2019), o imp o ing exis ing o ganiza ional p ocesses’e ec i eness and
e iciency (Ricci e al., 2021). P oximi y plays a c ucial ole in such
cus ome -supplie ela ions, which can be di ided in o h ee ypes:
spa ial; echnological; and social p oximi y. Spa ial p oximi y e e s o
geog aphical closeness o collabo a ing ac o s’loca ions. Technological
p oximi y encompasses he le el o echnological knowledge symme y,
alignmen be ween exis ing echnological sys ems, and o ganiza ional
echnological eadiness be ween cus ome s and supplie s (Beni ez e al.,
2020;Hwang, 2023;Ma ullo e al., 2024). Social p oximi y pe ains o
he unde s anding and s eng hs o social ela ionships be ween cus-
ome s and supplie s (Beni ez e al., 2020).
Cus ome and supplie collabo a ions occu a a ious phases and
le els, di ec ly impac ing SMEs’jou ney owa d digi al ans o ma ion.
Es enso o e al. (2022) explained ha SMEs du ing he ea ly s ages o
digi al ans o ma ion collabo a e wi h hei cus ome s o enhance hei
echnological awa eness h ough discussions. Du ing he second s age,
SMEs de elop echnological awa eness and aim o c ea e conc e e so-
lu ions h ough collabo a ions. In his con ex , hey pa ne wi h
b oade ne wo ks o cus ome s, which p o ide hem wi h inancial e-
sou ces and ocused wo kshops on implemen ing and u ilizing new
echnologies in hei o ganiza ional p ocesses (Chipika &Wilson, 2006;
Ricci e al., 2021). This allows SMEs o enhance echnological lea ning,
imp o e digi al eadiness, and es a ious echnological solu ions
h ough ne wo k collabo a ions. This s age also includes coc ea ing
echnological solu ions wi h a ne wo k o cus ome s, he eby ad ancing
SMEs’in e nal echnological capabili ies o echnology adop ion and
implemen a ion (Beni ez e al., 2020;Eikeb okk e al., 2020;Mawson &
B own, 2017;Zhang, 2024). The hi d s age ep esen s a mo e sophis-
ica ed app oach, in which SMEs collabo a e wi h hei cus ome s and
o he pa icipan s wi hin ecosys em collabo a ions. In such collabo a-
ions, he acili a ing o o ches a ing ac o es ablishes he collabo a ion
a ge , gene ally wi h a b oade agenda han me ely ocusing on SME
echnology de elopmen (Li e al., 2023;Sassanelli &Te zi, 2022).
Success ul collabo a ion wi h cus ome s in ecosys em and pla o m
collabo a ions is e iden in he highes echnological and ela ional
p oximi y le els be ween cus ome s and supplie s, as hese collabo a-
ions e ol e based on hei a ge s. Such p oximi y is d i en by eco-
nomic, echnological, and ma ke ac o s (Kahle e al., 2020). While he
ea ly phases o ecosys em collabo a ions may be d i en by economic
ac o s, he e olu iona y pe spec i e sugges s ha echnological and
ma ke d i e s mu ually in luence one ano he ega ding digi al ans-
o ma ion and he use o echnologies o mee cu en and u u e ma ke
demands. A ew s udies ha e analyzed coope i ion among SMEs o
echnological pu poses explici ly, and only hese s udies examined
compe i o s’collabo a ions, explaining ha compe i o s and o ganiza-
ions wi h simila business models can s imula e b icolage. SMEs need o
be ou wa d- acing and ecep i e o ex e nal s imuli (Haug e al., 2023;
AL-Kha ib e al., 2024;He as-Oli e e al., 2021;Khu ana e al., 2022;
Radicic e al., 2019).
Go e nmen o ganiza ions
The li e a u e e alua ion indica ed ha go e nmen s play an
Fig. 7. F equency o pape s published in jou nals.
S. Ha eez e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 10 (2025) 100728
15
(Han &T imi, 2022), and en o ce compe ence de elopmen s a egies
pa allel o ope a ional echnological implemen a ions o achie e
long- e m digi al ans o ma ion goals (Hansen e al., 2024). Fo
example, he a ailabili y o eme ging echnologies and echnological
con e gence be ween di e en ac o s on inno a ion pla o ms enable
pa icipa ing SMEs o achie e modula i y and es combina ions o
echnological componen s, he eby achie ing ope a ional agili y (Han &
T imi, 2022). In he long un, ope a ional agili y allows SMEs o de elop
s a egic agili y in e ms o o ming new collabo a ions (Han &T imi,
2022), coc ea ing wi hin collabo a i e ne wo ks I4.0, and in eg a ing
new echnologies in business o e ings (Sassanelli &Te zi, 2022).
Simila ly, he li e a u e unde sco es he impo ance o p econdi ions
o knowledge in e naliza ion. SMEs ha succeed in hese collabo a ions
ypically possess s ong o ganiza ional capabili ies, ope a ional capa-
bili ies, obus mic o- ounda ions (e.g., leade ship skills and employee
compe encies), and alignmen be ween knowledge managemen s a-
egies and business goals. This is alida ed by Es enso o e al. (2022) and
Muba ak and Pe ai e (2020), who a gued ha he ansi ion o I4.0
equi es a combina ion o in e nal capabili ies and ex e nal suppo
om collabo a i e ne wo ks. These collabo a ions’s uc u ed,
p ojec -based na u e may os e business model inno a ion in he sho
e m, bu limi a ions in scalabili y and adap abili y p e en SMEs om
achie ing b eak h ough inno a ions.
Thus, in Collabo a i e Model I, knowledge explo a ion is a combined
ac i i y, in which SMEs collabo a e o o m in e o ganiza ional collab-
o a ions o sea ch o new knowledge, and knowledge exploi a ion is
cha ac e ized by s ong in e nal capabili ies and condi ion ac o s.
Ecosys em and inno a ion pla o m collabo a ions o digi al
ans o ma ion
F om he pe spec i e o a KBV, ecosys em and inno a ion pla o m
collabo a ions o e a mo e dynamic and ambidex ous app oach o
knowledge explo a ion and exploi a ion in SMEs. These collabo a ions
a e nonlinea , wi h mul iple ac o s pa icipa ing in he coc ea ion o
echnological solu ions. Unlike co e alue chain collabo a ions’s a ic
na u e, ecosys em-based collabo a ions in ol e con inuous e olu ion o
oles and goals, allowing SMEs o emain adap able o changing ech-
nological demands. This co-e olu ion p ocess leads SMEs and o he
ac o s o adop an ambidex ous app oach owa d knowledge manage-
men , sha ing and acqui ing new knowledge in he same collabo a ions,
and exploi ing new knowledge h ough mul ilaye and mul i-ac o s’
collabo a ions o de elop echnological solu ions join ly and achie e
business model-le el con igu a ions and echnological ma u i y (Ha eez
e al., 2025). Fo example, Es enso o e al. (2022) unde sco ed
ecosys em collabo a ions’impo ance du ing a ious s ages o digi al
ma u i y, enabling SMEs o enhance hei lea ning abou I4.0 echnol-
ogies h oughou di e en s ages o digi al ma u i y. This adap abili y
allows SMEs o engage in explo a o y inno a ion by acqui ing new
echnological knowledge ha o en is inaccessible h ough mo e s uc-
u ed, linea collabo a ions. Adap abili y has been linked u he wi h
o ganiza ional ambidex e i y. Del Giudice e al. (2021) a gued ha ea ly
adop e s o echnology and inno a ions sha e a common app oach:
ambidex ous explo a ion and exploi a ion o new solu ions. O ganiza-
ional ambidex e i y is also impo an o SMEs o o e come hei lim-
i a ions ela ed o echnological in es men s (Scuo o e al., 2017), as
well as achie e echnological b eak h oughs. Ecosys em collabo a ions
challenge SMEs’con en ional app oaches and encou age hem o adap
o con inuous changes and adjus men s in he in e ac ions’s uc u al
and in ellec ual landscape (Pelle ie &Clou ie , 2019;Scuo o e al.,
2023). In esponse o con inuous e alua ion and ex e nal eedback,
SMEs de elop hei inno a ions and o ganiza ional agili y (Han &T imi,
2022). Thus, compa ed wi h co e alue chain ac o s’collabo a ions,
ecosys em and pla o m collabo a ions enhance SMEs’agili y by
enabling hese o ganiza ions o sha pen hei sensing capabili ies,
exposing hem o wide indus y ends and a ising oppo uni ies,
he eby inc easing hei knowledge con e gence and esou ce luidi y
while ecei ing con inuous suppo om o he ac o s in pu suing he
co e alue o collabo a ions.
Ecosys em collabo a ions suppo his ambidex ous knowledge
managemen app oach u he , enabling SMEs o le e age complemen-
a y skills and esou ces om o he ac o s wi hin he ne wo k, including
la ge ancho o ganiza ions and esea ch ins i u ions. The dynamic
coc ea ion o knowledge wi hin hese ecosys ems aligns wi h Mahdi aji
e al. (2023) and Muba ak e al. (2021), who highligh ed he ole o
in e media y o ganiza ions and go e nmen suppo in acili a ing
ans e o echnological knowledge o SMEs. This bounda y-spanning
app oach is pa icula ly e ec i e in o e coming in as uc u al and
ope a ional challenges ha o en hinde SMEs om adop ing digi al
pla o ms. The i e a i e na u e o lea ning and elea ning wi hin hese
ecosys ems is a signi ican ac o in enabling SMEs o de elop echno-
logical ma u i y. SMEs ha pa icipa e in inno a ion pla o ms bene i
om con inuous adap a ion, ensu ing ha hey emain compe i i e in
indus ies cha ac e ized by apid echnological ad ancemen (Co ello
e al., 2023). Haug e al. (2023) discussed how SMEs in ol ed in addi i e
manu ac u ing (AM) ne wo ks a e be e -equipped o build in e nal
capabili ies by d awing on knowledge and esou ces a ailable wi hin
he ecosys em. This knowledge in e naliza ion p ocess is no limi ed o
abso bing ex e nal knowledge, bu also in ol es ac i e pa icipa ion in
i s coc ea ion, he eby s eng hening SMEs’posi ion wi hin he
ecosys em.
U iliza ion o echnological knowledge in ecosys em collabo a ions
is also mo e obus compa ed wi h he co e alue chain model. By
os e ing open knowledge exchange and encou aging de elopmen o
new p oduc s and se ices, hese collabo a ions allow SMEs o achie e
high digi al ans o ma ion le els. Haug e al. (2023) highligh ed u he
ha SMEs engaged in knowledge ne wo ks o gain AM expe ience sus-
ained compe i i e ad an ages, as hey can le e age bo h in e nal and
ex e nal knowledge esou ces e ec i ely. This abili y o adap and
inno a e con inuously is a key s eng h o ecosys em-based collabo a-
ions, making hem a mo e iable op ion o SMEs seeking o achie e
long- e m digi al ans o ma ion. By compa ison, co e alue chain col-
labo a ions’linea na u e o e s ewe oppo uni ies o sus ained
inno a ion. Al hough hese collabo a ions a e e ec i e o inc emen al
echnological imp o emen s and sho - e m business model inno a ion,
hey lack he dynamic lexibili y equi ed o h i e in an inc easingly
digi al and in e connec ed business en i onmen . Howe e , ecosys em
collabo a ions p o ide a mo e comp ehensi e amewo k o os e ing
o ganiza ional lea ning, inno a ion, and digi al ma u i y. Figu e 10
p esen s an in eg a ed amewo k o knowledge explo a ion and
exploi a ion o SMEs’digi al ans o ma ion.
Conclusion
Theo e ical implica ions
This esea ch emphasizes he impo ance o ex e nal knowledge
explo a ion and exploi a ion o SMEs’digi al ans o ma ion. Th ough
bounda y-spanning ac i i ies, SMEs can access new echnological
knowledge and complemen esou ces o imp o e hei in e nal digi al
in as uc u es, echnology ma u i y, and echnological lea ning pe i-
nen o he digi al ans o ma ion o p ocesses, o e ings, and business
models (C upi e al., 2020;Haug e al., 2023;Ricci e al., 2021).
Bounda y-spanning ac i i ies enhance SMEs’collabo a ions wi h
a ious ex e nal s akeholde s, such as cus ome s and supplie s’ne -
wo ks, compe i o s, in e media y o ganiza ions, and
go e nmen - ep esen ing o ganiza ions (Ha eez e al., 2025). Fo
example, cus ome and supplie ne wo ks a e cen al o pushing and
encou aging SMEs o u ilize he la es echnologies o o ganiza ional
inno a ions (Del Giudice e al., 2021;Es enso o e al., 2022). SMEs can
lea n om compe i o s in well-s uc u ed and p ope ly managed
coope i ion-based collabo a ions. A success ully managed coope i ion
S. Ha eez e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 10 (2025) 100728
16
can ea n highe echnological bene i s o SMEs due o close echno-
logical and economic p oximi y. Simila ly, in e media y o ganiza ions
a e keys one ac o s in SMEs’ex e nal en i onmen . In e media y o ga-
niza ions ha e dynamic and a ying oles o se ing up, execu ing,
managing, and go e ning collabo a ions be ween business and
nonbusiness ac o s. In e media y o ganiza ions p o ide
knowledge-b oke ing se ices, acili a e inno a ion p ocesses, enable
knowledge and echnology ans e , and assume a g ea e ole by
enabling socio echnical ansi ions’la ge ole. This ad anced ole is
execu ed by sys ema ic in e media y o ganiza ions, which indi ec ly ac
as capaci y-building ac o s o SMEs in he digi al ans o ma ion o
hei o e ings and business models (F ança e al., 2022;Kahle e al.,
2020). We also posi ha go e nmen o ganiza ions and ep esen a i e
bodies’ini ia i es, such as a o able policymaking and inancial sup-
po , a e impo an in p omo ing and a icula ing a collabo a i e en i-
onmen o echnology es ing and implemen a ion among
esou ce-cons ained SMEs.
I has been demons a ed ha SMEs u ilize wo dis inc modes o
collabo a ion o hei digi al ans o ma ion: (I) co e alue chain
ne wo k ac o s’collabo a ions and (II) ecosys em and inno a ion
pla o m-based collabo a ions. The na u e o collabo a ions, ela ion-
ships among ac o s, exchanges o knowledge and esou ces, and de-
pendencies among ac o s a y be ween he wo collabo a i e models.
This a ia ion a ec s SMEs’capaci y o acqui e, in e nalize, and u ilize
new knowledge o digi al ans o ma ion o hei p ocesses, o e ings,
and business models. Fo example, in Collabo a i e Model I, knowledge
explo a ion and exploi a ion o digi al ans o ma ion a e iewed as
linea models, ha ing ce ain o ganiza ional capabili ies, mic o-
ounda ions, ope a ional capabili ies, and o ganiza ional s a egies as
p econdi ioning ac o s o knowledge exploi a ion. In Collabo a i e
Model II, SMEs adop an ambidex ous app oach as a nonlinea p ocess
o knowledge explo a ion and exploi a ion o digi al ans o ma ion.
In such a model, o ganiza ional capabili ies, mic o- ounda ions, and
ope a ional capabili ies a e mode a ing and media ing ac o s, a he
han p econdi ioning. Finally, he in eg a ed amewo k (Figu e 10)
syn hesizes li e a u e on ex e nal collabo a ions o knowledge explo-
a ion and exploi a ion (Ricci e al., 2021;Mahdi aji e al., 2023;Haug
e al., 2023;Suh &Sohn, 2015) o SMEs’digi al ans o ma ion
(Scuo o e al., 2017;Muba ik e al., 2022;Del Giudice e al., 2021;
Es enso o e al., 2022;Ha eez e al., 2025).
Theo e ical Con ibu ions
This esea ch also con ibu es o he li e a u e by p o iding no el
insigh s on he ele ance o he KBV o SMEs’digi al ans o ma ion. The
p esen s udy’s indings wa an explici and de ailed insigh s in o he
in e play be ween explo a o y app oaches and exploi a i e mechanisms
o knowledge managemen in he con ex o SMEs’digi al ans-
o ma ion. We con ibu ed o he li e a u e by demons a ing ha
ex e nal knowledge acquisi ion and in e naliza ion a e in eg al o
bounda y-spanning ac i i ies (Ansha i e al., 2022); digi al in as uc-
u e and in e nal capabili ies a e impo an o knowledge exploi a ion
(Ben Slimane e al., 2022); cus ome s, supplie s, in e media ies, and
go e nmen o ganiza ions a e key ex e nal de e minan s in unique
echnological knowledge explo a ion (Ghobakhloo e al., 2022;Ram-
dani e al., 2022); knowledge explo a ion aligned wi h he exploi a ion
p ocess can de elop unique dynamic capabili ies o digi al ans-
o ma ion (Mele e al., 2024); and new knowledge u iliza ion con ib-
u es o ope a ional and s a egic agili y o SMEs’digi al ans o ma ion
(Ma ino-Rome o e al., 2024). Table 6 p o ides an o e iew o ou
con ibu ion o he li e a u e gap.
P ac ical implica ions
Ou esea ch p esen s p ac ical implica ions o SME managemen ,
expe s om in e media y o ganiza ions, and policymake s om go -
e nmen ins i u es.
SME Managemen
○SMEs ha aim o leap o wa d o he digi al ans o ma ion o o -
e ings and business models can shape c ea ion o hei necessa y
p econdi ions in ad ance ac i ely. They should conside p oac i ely
scanning hei ex e nal en i onmen s o ind possible suppo and
complemen a y skills and esou ces o digi al ans o ma ion.
Fig. 10. In eg a ed amewo k on knowledge explo a ion and exploi a ion o SMEs’digi al ans o ma ion.
S. Ha eez e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 10 (2025) 100728
17
○Digi al ans o ma ion equi es in as uc u al, ope a ional, and
manage ial eadiness o success ul echnology implemen a ion.
SME managemen mus align hese unc ions wi h echnology and
inno a ion s a egies o maximize ou pu om echnology imple-
men a ion and u iliza ion.
○SME managemen , pa icula ly op managemen , should place
g ea e emphasis on de eloping echnical and digi al compe encies.
These compe encies will suppo de elopmen o dynamic capabil-
i ies wi hin business o ganiza ions, enabling hem o h i e in cu -
en and u u e ma ke s, as well as na iga e u iliza ion o
echnologies o business pu poses.
○SME managemen should be open o collabo a ions wi h ex e nal
ne wo ks o acqui e new knowledge on implemen ing eme ging
echnologies. Such collabo a ions can compensa e o low in e nal
echnological ma u i y and help SMEs achie e a compe i i e
ad an age.
○To o e come in e nal esou ce limi a ions, SMEs ha en e in o
ecosys em collabo a ions o acqui e access o sha ed esou ces, such
as machine y, and p omo e sha ed echnological in as uc u e can
inc ease in e ope abili y, he eby alle ia ing inancial cons ain s on
ad anced echnology u iliza ion.
○SME managemen is encou aged o collabo a e wi h uni e si ies and
esea ch ins i u ions o u ilize digi al inno a ion labs and dedica ed
expe ise o accele a e digi al ans o ma ion.
○SME manage s need o a icula e a o malized s a egy o make ca-
paci ies o hei human capi al, associa ed lea ning p ocesses, and
assump ion o isks mo e e ec i e. Manage s should be encou aged
o conduc bounda y-spanning ac i i ies ha s imula e new and
success ul business models wi hin hei o ganiza ions.
○Designing and communica ing a digi al s a egy p o ides a success
s o y ha edi ec s employees owa d digi al ans o ma ion; hus,
ha ing a s a egy oadmap o digi al ans o ma ion is sugges ed o
SME managemen .
Table 6
The p esen s udy’s heo e ical con ibu ions.
Au ho s Key Findings Limi a ions &
Resea ch Gap
Ou con ibu ions
Ansha i e al.
(2022)
•The posi i e link
be ween digi al
ecosys em
eadiness o I4.0
adop ion
•Rele ance o
Knowledge
managemen o
open inno a ion
implemen a ion
•Go e nmen as a
p o ec o o
ma ke
egula ions
Lack o analysis
o echnological
knowledge
explo a ion and
exploi a ion.
Limi ed o he
Indonesian
con ex .
The ambidex ous
na u e o
knowledge
explo a ion and
exploi a ion is a
unique ea u e o
ecosys em
collabo a ions
p omo ing SMEs’
digi al eadiness.
In some con ex s,
go e nmen
o ganiza ions ac
beyond he
p o ec ion o
ma ke egula o s
as inno a i e
acili a o s
h ough policies
and unds.
Slimane e al.
(2022)
•Digi al
in as uc u e
and digi al
manage
ele ance o
digi al
ans o ma ion
•Recon igu a ion
o o ganiza ional
and manage ial
mechanisms
•Top Managemen
is esponsible o
digi al change
managemen
Shallow analysis
o he ele ance
o knowledge
managemen o
Digi al
ans o ma ion.
Digi al
in as uc u es,
digi al leade ship,
s a egic
econ igu a ions,
and op
managemen
social capi al a e
in luenced by he
SME’s capaci y o
collabo a e, and
hese ac o s ac as
p econdi ions o
echnological
knowledge
exploi a ion.
Ghobakhloo
e al. (2022)
•Technological
de e minan s
•O ganiza ional
de e minan s
•En i onmen al
de e minan s
•I4.0 adop ion
oadmap
Despi e
explaining
en i onmen al
de e minan s,
esea ch lacks an
in-dep h
e alua ion o
SMEs’ a ious
in e ac ions and
hei ele ance
o he adop ion
o I4.0
echnologies.
Cus ome s,
supplie s, and
compe i o s a e
co e ac o s in
en i onmen al
de e minan s o
de eloping
solu ions ela ed o
I4.0 adop ion.
In e media y
o ganiza ions o
a ious ypes a e
inc easingly
eme ging as
capaci y-building
ac o s in he
bounda y-
spanning ac i i ies
o SMEs.
Ramdani e al.
(2022)
O e iew on:
•Digi al
echnologies
•Theo ies o
Digi al
Inno a ions
•Con ex ual and
o ganiza ional
ac o s o digi al
inno a ions
Lacks in-dep h
analysis o show
how SMEs
in e ac wi h
ex e nal ac o s
and hei ole in
digi al
ans o ma ion.
Collabo a ion wi h
ex e nal ac o s
p o ides SMEs
wi h knowledge
and esou ces o
es and ial new
echnologies.
Co-c ea ion and
co-de elopmen o
echnological
solu ions lead
hese
o ganiza ions o
de elop digi al
inno a ions.
Mele e al.
(2024)
•Mic o- ounda ion
o dynamic
capabili ies
The e is a lack o
de ails on how
SMEs le e age
A combina ion o
knowledge
explo a ion,
Table 6 (con inued)
Au ho s Key Findings Limi a ions &
Resea ch Gap
Ou con ibu ions
•Dynamic
capabili ies o
alue c ea ion
•Dynamic
capabili ies o
•Digi al ansi ion
•Dynamic
capabili ies o
‘‘da a-d i en
o ganiza ions
•Dynamic
capabili ies o
digi al
ans o ma ion in
SMEs and amily
i ms
hei ex e nal
ne wo ks o
acqui e ele an
knowledge and
wha kind o
suppo hey
ecei e om
ex e nal ac o s.
Missing de ails
on he in ica e
p ocess o
knowledge
explo a ion o
exploi a ion o
digi al
ans o ma ion.
aligned wi h he
exploi a ion
p ocess, can
de elop unique
dynamic
capabili ies o
digi al
ans o ma ion.
Ma ino-Rome o
e al. (2024)
•Digi al
ans o ma ion
p omo es agili y
in o ganiza ional
p ocesses.
•De elopmen o
digi al
capabili ies
•S a egies o
scaling up digi al
echnologies
Lack o
analy ical dep h
in le e aging
dynamic
capabili ies o
knowledge
acquisi ion and
in e naliza ion.
P o ide a
bibliome ic
o e iew o he
s udies, wi h a
missing
sys ema ic
li e a u e
analysis.
New knowledge
explo a ion and i s
u iliza ion led
SMEs o de elop
ope a ional and
s a egic agili y o
digi al
ans o ma ion.
S. Ha eez e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 10 (2025) 100728
18
○Resou ce-cons ained SMEs a e encou aged o collabo a e wi h
di e en ecosys em ac o s and pa icipa e in online communi ies o
acqui e ex e nal expe ise ha is essen ial o digi al ans o ma ion.
Policymake s
○The go e nmen should p o ide ailo ed suppo p og ams and
enhanced access o educa ion and aining o SMEs. The aim
should be o p io i ize long- e m economic de elopmen and ca-
paci y building o e ec i e ne wo king among SMEs.
○Fo dis up i e echnologies, he go e nmen shall p o ide in-
cen i es o in es men in new echnologies, as well as make
echnical suppo and aining p og ams a ailable. This suppo
can inc ease SMEs’willingness o adop dis up i e echnologies
and le e age hei po en ial bene i s.
○Policymake s shall conside he impo ance o social, beha io al,
and ela ional ac o s alongside echnical aspec s in digi al ans-
o ma ion e o s. Policymake s can le e age hese insigh s o
de elop and s eng hen IT- ela ed suppo agendas ailo ed o
SMEs’needs, pa icula ly smalle ones, h ough cus omized
aining p og ams, coaching ini ia i es, and o he suppo
mechanisms.
○Public suppo p og ams should be demand-led, ca e ing o adi-
ional SMEs’di e se needs. Subsidies and inancial suppo o
SMEs can smoo h ou implemen a ion o dis up i e echnologies in
SMEs’manu ac u ing p ocesses; he go e nmen should p o ide
ailo ed p og ams.
○Policymake s should be awa e o echnology ans e cen e s and
hei ac i i ies, iden i y cen e s ha can ul ill he bounda y-
spanning ole, and suppo ini ia i es ha aim o inc ease hei
e ec i eness by p o iding incen i es o echnology ans e cen-
e s and enhancing hei human capi al and social capabili ies,
enabling hem o o ches a e nume ous in e aces wi h c oss-
disciplina y eams and s akeholde s.
○Go e nmen policymake s a e encou aged o p o ide cus omized
sec o -speci ic suppo s a egies o s eng hen in e nal inancing,
such as ax bene i s and subsidies, and enhance ex e nal collabo-
a ion using in ellec ual p ope ies, such as licensing.
○Policymake s should e ise egula ions o acili a e digi al ans-
o ma ion, encou age in es men s in in as uc u e and echnol-
ogy, and de elop p og ams o imp o e digi al pla o ms’
ope a ional managemen .
The s udy’s limi a ions
This s udy p o ides aluable insigh s in o SMEs’digi al ans-
o ma ion; howe e , se e al limi a ions should be conside ed when
in e p e ing he nuances o his esea ch. Me hodologically, he eliance
on an SLR inhe en ly depends on he quali y and scope o he selec ed
li e a u e. The decision o ocus on ABS- anked jou nals wi h a mini-
mum anking o Le el 2 may ha e excluded ele an insigh s om
lowe - anked jou nals, con e ence p oceedings, and published heses, i.
e., his choice migh ha e na owed ou indings’scope, ye ou ou -
comes’ alidi y is jus i iable wi h he la ge sample size o pape s used.
Xu e al. (2018) sugges ed ha esea che s e ie e a subs an ial numbe
o pape s when analyzing a ma u e opic, he eby main aining s ingen
quali y c i e ia o obus and igo ous indings. Howe e , we encou age
u u e esea che s o include g ay li e a u e o yield mo e comp ehen-
si e esul s. Simila ly, he use o Scopus and Web o Science da abases,
while comp ehensi e, excluded s udies om o he eposi o ies o
egional and specialized jou nals ha could ha e p o ided b oade
pe spec i es. Fu he mo e, inclusion o only English-language publica-
ions in oduces a Wes e n-cen ic bias, o e looking aluable con ibu-
ions om non-English-speaking egions. The s udy also p edominan ly
employed an es ablished heo e ical amewo k, i.e., he KBV, which,
al hough obus , may no ha e ully cap u ed eme ging pa adigms o
in e disciplina y pe spec i es on digi al ans o ma ion. Ano he po-
en ial limi a ion o a KBV is he o e emphasis on knowledge as a key
s a egic asse , which may o e shadow in e nal o ganiza ional dy-
namics, such as employee aining, change managemen , and esis ance
o echnological adop ion. Fu he mo e, c oss-cul u al a ia ions in
SMEs’digi al ans o ma ion p ac ices emain unde explo ed, and he
indings may no ully ep esen di e se socioeconomic con ex s. How-
e e , KBV cap u es comp ehensi e de ails on he a ious ac o s and
ac o s ela ed o he knowledge explo a ion and exploi a ion p ocess in
digi al ans o ma ion. I enables esea che s o ze o in on de ails o
mechanisms o o ganiza ional bounda y-spanning ac i i ies and hei
linkage wi h knowledge explo a ion. Simila ly, i p o ides a powe ul
lens h ough which o unde s and knowledge in e naliza ion and u ili-
za ion o o ganiza ional capabili ies and inno a ion de elopmen ,
he eby o e ing an oppo uni y o de elop a comp ehensi e unde -
s anding o SMEs’digi al ans o ma ion p ocesses. Mo eo e , while he
indings add ess sec o al p ac ices, hey a e gene alized ac oss SMEs,
po en ially o e looking indus y-speci ic nuances. Gi en digi al ans-
o ma ion’s dynamic na u e, he eliance on published s udies om
2004 o 2024 may no ha e cap u ed he mos ecen echnological
ad ancemen s o dis up ions adequa ely. Finally, he s udy lacks
empi ical alida ion, elying solely on seconda y da a, which limi s he
abili y o es he p oposed amewo ks in eal-wo ld scena ios o spe-
ci ic SME con ex s. These limi a ions unde sco e he need o u u e
esea ch o expand he scope o analysis, inco po a e p ima y da a, and
explo e unde ep esen ed aspec s o SMEs’digi al ans o ma ion
jou ney.
Fu u e esea ch di ec ions
While he ex an li e a u e p o ides aluable insigh s in o he
collabo a i e amewo ks and digi al ans o ma ion s a egies
employed by SMEs, se e al a enues o u he explo a ion emain.
Add essing hese li e a u e gaps would deepen unde s anding o how
SMEs can manage knowledge, os e inno a ion, and achie e long- e m
digi al ans o ma ion mo e e ec i ely. The ollowing di ec ions a e
p oposed o guide u u e esea ch:
•Fu u e esea ch a eues o ex e nal s akeholde s’ ele ance in digi al
ans o ma ion
○Fu u e esea ch should ocus on unde s anding he mechanisms
ha enable SMEs o o e come digi al ans o ma ion ba ie s
ela ed o scalabili y wi hin digi al ecosys ems. This could in ol e
in es iga ing he oles o in e media y o ganiza ions, go e nmen
in e en ions, and inno a ion pla o ms in acili a ing esou ce-
sha ing and p o iding suppo s uc u es o SMEs. S udies ha
examine how digi al pla o ms and collabo a i e ne wo ks os e
scalabili y would p o ide ac ionable insigh s o bo h policy-
make s and p ac i ione s.
○Gi en he di e se economic, social, and cul u al landscapes in
which SMEs ope a e, u u e s udies should unde ake c oss-
cul u al and egional compa isons o explo e how knowledge
managemen and digi al ans o ma ion di e ac oss geog aphical
con ex s. Compa a i e s udies could examine how in e media ies
and go e nmen o ganiza ions ha e di e en suppo and esou ce
s uc u es in de eloped economies s. hose in eme ging ma ke s,
and how hey suppo SMEs in hei digi al ans o ma ion
di e en ly.
○Unde s anding local cul u al ac o s’ ole in shaping SMEs’ e-
sponses o digi aliza ion could help de elop mo e cul u ally sen-
si i e and e ec i e s a egies.
○While much ex an esea ch has ocused on explo ing SMEs’ca-
pabili ies, mo e esea ch is needed o explo e he key capabili ies,
lea ning mechanisms, and mic o- ounda ions o in e media y ac-
o s ha lead SMEs o digi al ans o ma ion.
S. Ha eez e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 10 (2025) 100728
19
○Go e nmen suppo enables SMEs o emba k on digi al ans-
o ma ion jou neys, bu ex an esea ch on speci ic policies and
incen i es ha a e mos e ec i e in os e ing SMEs’digi al ans-
o ma ion emain sca ce. Fu u e esea ch should e alua e he
impac om a ious go e nmen in e en ions––such as ax in-
cen i es, g an s, subsidies, and digi al in as uc u e in es -
men s––on SMEs’digi al g ow h. S udies ha assess how hese
policies can be ailo ed o add ess SMEs’unique needs in di e en
sec o s and egions would p o ide aluable insigh s o
policymake s.
•Fu u e esea ch a enues on in e nal ac o s in digi al
ans o ma ion
○Much o he li e a u e emphasizes he impo ance o o ganiza-
ional capabili ies in in e nalizing ex e nal knowledge, and
u u e s udies should conside leade ship and mic o- ounda-
ions’ ole in his p ocess. Fu he in es iga ion in o how mic o-
ounda ions––such as indi idual compe encies, ou ines, and
o ganiza ional cul u e––con ibu e o e ec i e knowledge
in e naliza ion could yield p ac ical insigh s o enhancing SME
pe o mance in knowledge-in ensi e en i onmen s.
○Fu u e esea ch is needed o de elop comp ehensi e me ics ha
assess digi al ans o ma ion’s impac on SME compe i i eness.
Such me ics could e alua e changes in ma ke sha e, ope a-
ional e iciency, inno a ion ou pu , and cus ome sa is ac ion
due o digi aliza ion. By es ablishing clea benchma ks o dig-
i al ans o ma ion success, u u e s udies can p o ide SMEs
wi h ac ionable insigh s on measu ing and op imizing hei
digi al ini ia i es o sus ained compe i i e ad an age.
•Fu u e esea ch a enues on me hods and con ex s
○To gain a mo e comp ehensi e unde s anding o long- e m
impac s om digi al ans o ma ion, u u e esea ch should
employ longi udinal s udies ha ack SMEs’p og ession
h ough di e en s ages o digi al ma u i y. Such s udies could
iden i y c i ical in lec ion poin s a which SMEs ei he ad ance
o s agna e du ing hei digi al ans o ma ion jou neys.
Mo eo e , hey could explo e he ac o s ha enable SMEs o
ansi ion om ea ly-s age digi al adop ion o ull- ledged
digi al in eg a ion, p o iding a clea e oadmap o p ac i-
ione s aiming o sus ain digi al g ow h.
○While much cu en ex an esea ch on knowledge manage-
men wi hin SMEs is gene alizable, u u e s udies should
in es iga e sec o -speci ic p ac ices, pa icula ly in indus ies
in which digi al ans o ma ion poses unique implica ions. Fo
example, indus ies such as manu ac u ing, heal hca e, and
inance ace dis inc challenges and oppo uni ies in hei
digi aliza ion e o s. Tailo ing knowledge managemen
amewo ks o speci ic sec o s would p o ide mo e nuanced
and ac ionable ecommenda ions o i ms ope a ing in
di e se indus ial con ex s.
•Fu u e esea ch a enues on sus ainabili y and digi al ans-
o ma ion’s e hical aspec s
○Wi h he apid adop ion o AI, big da a, and au oma ion
ac oss SMEs, hese echnologies’e hical dimensions need o
be add essed. Fu u e esea ch should explo e echnological
in eg a ion’s e hical implica ions, including issues ela ed o
da a p i acy, algo i hmic anspa ency, and he po en ial
o job displacemen . By in es iga ing how SMEs can bal-
ance echnological inno a ion wi h e hical esponsibili y,
schola s can con ibu e o he de elopmen o mo e sus-
ainable and socially esponsible digi al ans o ma ion
s a egies.
○Wi h g owing global a en ion being paid o sus ainabili y,
u u e esea ch should explo e how SMEs can in eg a e
sus ainable p ac ices in o hei digi al ans o ma ion s a-
egies. This could in ol e examining he in e sec ion o
sus ainabili y objec i es and digi al ans o ma ion,
pa icula ly how SMEs le e age digi al echnologies o
educe hei en i onmen al impac , op imize esou ce use,
and con ibu e o b oade sus ainabili y goals. In es iga ing
how sus ainabili y-o ien ed digi al ans o ma ion can
enhance SMEs’compe i i e posi ioning while aligning wi h
he Uni ed Na ions’Sus ainable De elopmen Goals (SDGs)
would add a aluable dimension o cu en discou se.
○Fu u e esea ch also can explo e s a egies and app oaches
ha lead SMEs in hei win ans o ma ion.
CRediT au ho ship con ibu ion s a emen
Shahid Ha eez: W i ing – e iew &edi ing, W i ing –o iginal d a ,
Visualiza ion, Valida ion, So wa e, Resou ces, Me hodology, In es i-
ga ion, Fo mal analysis, Da a cu a ion, Concep ualiza ion. Khu am
Shahzad: W i ing – e iew &edi ing, Valida ion, Supe ision, Re-
sou ces, P ojec adminis a ion, Funding acquisi ion, Concep ualiza ion.
Pe i Helo: W i ing – e iew &edi ing, Valida ion, Supe ision, Re-
sou ces, Concep ualiza ion. Muhammad Fa az Muba ak: W i ing –
e iew &edi ing, W i ing –o iginal d a , Valida ion,
Concep ualiza ion.
Acknowledgmen s
We since ely acknowledge he inancial suppo o he FOUNDA-
TION FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION (Liikesi is ys ahas o) unde g an
numbe s 190283 and 230398, he Kau e Founda ion and he E ald and
Hilda Nissi Founda ion.
Supplemen a y ma e ials
Supplemen a y ma e ial associa ed wi h his a icle can be ound, in
he online e sion, a doi:10.1016/j.jik.2025.100728.
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