Sumbal, Muhammad Saleem Ullah Khan; Ta iq, Adeel; Ambe , Qu a ulain;
Jano ská, Kamila; Fe a is, Albe o
A icle
Tech e olu ion unleashed: Na iga ing he winds o digi al
ans o ma ion in he as lane
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge (JIK)
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
Else ie
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Sumbal, Muhammad Saleem Ullah Khan; Ta iq, Adeel; Ambe , Qu a ulain;
Jano ská, Kamila; Fe a is, Albe o (2024) : Tech e olu ion unleashed: Na iga ing he winds o
digi al ans o ma ion in he as lane, Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge (JIK), ISSN 2444-569X,
Else ie , Ams e dam, Vol. 9, Iss. 4, pp. 1-11,
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.jik.2024.100551
This Ve sion is a ailable a :
h ps://hdl.handle.ne /10419/327453
S anda d-Nu zungsbedingungen:
Die Dokumen e au EconS o dü en zu eigenen wissenscha lichen
Zwecken und zum P i a geb auch gespeiche und kopie we den.
Sie dü en die Dokumen e nich ü ö en liche ode komme zielle
Zwecke e iel äl igen, ö en lich auss ellen, ö en lich zugänglich
machen, e eiben ode ande wei ig nu zen.
So e n die Ve asse die Dokumen e un e Open-Con en -Lizenzen
(insbesonde e CC-Lizenzen) zu Ve ügung ges ell haben soll en,
gel en abweichend on diesen Nu zungsbedingungen die in de do
genann en Lizenz gewäh en Nu zungs ech e.
Te ms o use:
Documen s in EconS o may be sa ed and copied o you pe sonal
and schola ly pu poses.
You a e no o copy documen s o public o comme cial pu poses, o
exhibi he documen s publicly, o make hem publicly a ailable on he
in e ne , o o dis ibu e o o he wise use he documen s in public.
I he documen s ha e been made a ailable unde an Open Con en
Licence (especially C ea i e Commons Licences), you may exe cise
u he usage igh s as speci ied in he indica ed licence.
h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Tech e olu ion unleashed: Na iga ing he winds o digi al
ans o ma ion in he as lane
Muhammad Saleem Sumbal
a,
*, Adeel Ta iq
b
, Qu a ulain Ambe
c
, Kamila Jano sk
a
d
,
Albe o Fe a is
e, ,g
a
Depa men o Indus ial and Sys ems Enginee ing, The Hong Kong Poly echnic Uni e si y, Hong Kong
b
Indus ial Enginee ing and Managemen Depa men , LUT Uni e si y, Kou ola 45100, Finland
c
School o Managemen and Economics, Uni e si y o Ku dis an Hewle , I aq
d
Facul y o Ma e ials Sciences and Technology, Technical Uni e si y o Os a a, Czech Republic
e
Depa men o Managemen , Uni e si y o To ino, I aly
Gnosis: Medi e anean Ins i u e o Managemen Science, School o Business, Uni e si y o Nicosia, Nicosia 2417, Cyp us
g
Co inus Uni e si y o Budapes Business School, Hunga y
ARTICLE INFO
A icle His o y:
Recei ed 14 Feb ua y 2024
Accep ed 22 Augus 2024
A ailable online 5 Sep embe 2024
ABSTRACT
Building on he dynamic capabili y pe spec i e, his s udy in es iga es e ec i e digi aliza ion and digi al
ans o ma ion s a egies in he ech indus y by highligh ing he ele ance o he digi al di ide among
de eloped and de eloping economies. Fu he , he s udy iden ifies he key challenges, oppo uni ies, and
s a egies o digi aliza ion and digi al ans o ma ion. The s udy emb aced a quali a i e app oach o in-
dep h explo a ion o he phenomenon h ough a compa a i e s udy o wo coun ies, i.e., Hong Kong and
Pakis an. Da a was collec ed using in e iews and analyzed using con en analysis o iden i y ecu ing pa -
e ns and c i ical insigh s o meaning ul in e p e a ions o add ess he s udy objec i e. We p oposed a
amewo k o e ec i e digi aliza ion and digi al ans o ma ion in he ech indus y om he pe spec i e o
de eloped and de eloping economies. The s a egies iden ified in his esea ch a e ca ego ized in echnop e-
neu ship and imp o ed human esou ce p ac ices o add ess he challenges aced by bo h de eloped and
de eloping coun ies. The s udy findings con ibu e o a deepe unde s anding o he digi al ans o ma ion
phenomenon in he wake o changing wo k o ce dynamics and echnological dis up ions, as well as he digi-
al di ide be ween de eloped and de eloping coun ies. Fu he , he s udy will help policymake s de ise and
implemen esilien s a egies in he ech indus y, o help educe he digi al di ide.
© 2024 The Au ho s. Published by Else ie España, S.L.U. on behal o Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge. This
is an open access a icle unde he CC BY-NC-ND license
(h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Keywo ds:
Digi aliza ion
Digi al ans o ma ion
Digi al s a egies
Digi al di ide
Hong Kong
Pakis an
JEL codes:
D80
D83
M13
M15
M16
M10
In oduc ion
Digi aliza ion and digi al ans o ma ion encompass he adop ion
o cu ing-edge echnology o p o ide inno a i e echnological solu-
ions (Feliciano-Ces e o e al., 2023;K aus e al., 2021), which a e
essen ial o he su i al and sus ainable p og ess o o ganiza ions
and indus ies (Po í io e al., 2021). Mo eo e , sus ainabili y in ope -
a ions and unc ions is closely linked o digi aliza ion and digi al
ans o ma ion ac oss sec o s (Vuchko ski e al., 2023). Digi aliza ion
in ol es le e aging echnology o manage ope a ions wi hin he
o ganiza ion and ensu e con inui y e ec i ely, e en when employees
need o wo k emo ely, o example, using online ideo con e ences
and communica ion po als o wo k synch oniza ion (Cha e jee e
al., 2023). Digi al ans o ma ion, on he o he hand, is he usion o
digi al sys ems and inno a i e business models (Almeida e al.,
2020). This digi al landscape enables da a-d i en decision-making
and ope a ional e ficiencies (Sumbal & Ambe , 2024;Bha i e al.,
2024;Nazee e al., 2023). Digi al ans o ma ions ha e e i alized
he indus y and empowe ed echnology o influence day- o-day
li es h ough new businesses, manu ac u ing me hods, and imp o ed
s akeholde in e ac ions in ol ing businesses, consume s, and sup-
plie s (Feliciano-Ces e o e al., 2023). In a nu shell, digi aliza ion and
digi al ans o ma ion ha e a di ec and widesp ead impac on busi-
ness alue c ea ion, inno a ion, coope a ion, and collabo a ion in he
ech indus y wo ldwide (Ta iq e al., 2024;Benbya e al., 2020;Cal-
de on-Monge & Ribei o-So iano, 2023;Veile e al., 2022) especially
a e he COVD-19 pandemic.
* Co esponding au ho .
E-mail add ess: [email p o ec ed] (M.S. Sumbal).
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.jik.2024.100551
2444-569X/© 2024 The Au ho s. Published by Else ie España, S.L.U. on behal o Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge. This is an open access a icle unde he CC BY-NC-ND license
(h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 9 (2024) 100551
Jou nal o Inno a ion
&Knowledge
h ps://www.jou nals.else ie .com/jou nal-o -inno a ion-and-knowledge
The COVID-19 c isis has ans o med o ganiza ional wo k dynam-
ics (Sumbal e al., 2024;Li e al., 2022b). Vi ual wo k, emo e collab-
o a ions, and di e se eams a e new app oaches ha p omo e he
eme ging concep o gig economy (Behl e al., 2021). In he same
ein, inno a i e echnology, a ificial in elligence, au oma ion, obo -
ics, cloud compu ing, and he In e ne o hings (Nazee e al., 2023)
a e changing he wo king pa e ns (gig/ eelance wo k and hyb id
wo k p ac ices) and he ways o ganiza ions p oduce and deli e
p oduc s and se ices o he cus ome s (Sumbal e al., 2024). These
changing dynamics b ing se e al challenges, such as secu i y and p i-
acy conce ns, social and e hical dilemmas, e c. (Almeida e al., 2020;
Fa a e o e al., 2020). The e o e, o ganiza ions mus e amp hei
s a egic s ance o digi aliza ion and digi al ans o ma ion o mee
he changing dynamics (Feliciano-Ces e o e al., 2023). Ano he
impo an aspec o his connec ion is ha he ole o echnology is
c ucial in he mode n wo ld and canno be dis ega ded; howe e , a
digi al di ide is also e iden be ween de eloped and de eloping
coun ies (Van Dijk, 2020) ega ding echnology adop ion and digi al
ans o ma ion. This di ide includes echnology illi e acy, knowledge
defici s among ci izens, and a lack o echnological in as uc u e in
de eloping coun ies (Popko a e al., 2022). De eloping coun ies
also lack he ins i u ions and in as uc u e o suppo digi aliza ion,
elewo king, and e-comme ce (Amankwah-Amoah e al., 2021).
E o s we e made du ing he COVID-19 pandemic o imp o e ech-
nological in as uc u e. Fo ins ance, in compa ison o 2020, digi al
in as uc u e has inc eased by 73 %, and digi al echnology applica-
ions ha e inc eased by 77 % in de eloping coun ies (Popko a e al.,
2022). Despi e ha , a digi al di ide exis s be ween de eloped and
de eloping economies. The digi al di ide demons a es he dispa i y
in echnology adop ion by di e en social g oups (Li & Kos ka, 2024).
Exis ing s udies, in his ega d, ha e discussed he digi al di ide wi h
he pe spec i e o b idging he digi al di ide h ough echnop e-
neu eship (We hne e al., 2024), digi al inclusion o he elde ly in
digi al ans o ma ion (Li & Kos ka, 2024), he digi al di ide in u al
a eas (A ion e al., 2024). Resea ch in his di ec ion has mainly
ocused on he socie al le el o inequali ies and calls o esea ch o
explo e he digi al di ide a he coun y le el (Ko o kin e al., 2023;
Ly h ea is e al., 2022). I is impo an o examine he eali ies o digi-
aliza ion and digi al ans o ma ion in bo h de eloped and de elop-
ing coun ies o unde s and how o educe he digi al di ide
(Ly h ea is e al., 2022) by de ising app op ia e implemen a ion and
manage ial s a egies.
To add ess he a o emen ioned esea ch gaps h ough he lens o
dynamic capabili y heo y, which s a es " he fi m’s abili y o in e-
g a e, build, and econfigu e in e nal and ex e nal compe encies o
add ess apidly changing en i onmen s”(Teece e al., 1997, p. 516),
his s udy, explo es digi al ans o ma ion due o changing wo k o ce
dynamics and echnological dis up ions in bo h de eloped and de el-
oping coun ies ha would help in de ising implemen a ion and
manage ial s a egies o e ec i e digi aliza ion and digi al ans o -
ma ion and also con ibu e o educe digi al di ide. In he as -mo -
ing digi al ans o ma ion e a, o ganiza ions mus scan he
en i onmen and espond o i by quickly modi ying esou ces and
p ocesses o sus ain hei compe i i e ad an age o e ime, which is
only possible i he o ganiza ions possess and p ac ice dynamic capa-
bili ies (Capu o e al., 2022;Li e al., 2022a). Dynamic capabili ies
include he o ganiza ion’s capabili ies o add ess changing dynamics
by ans o ming a business model ha co ela es wi h he changing
equi emen s (Capu o e al., 2022). As a knowledge-based economy,
Hong Kong hea ily elies on echnological ad ancemen s (de Pablos
& Ed insson, 2020) and has made significan in es men s in IT-
ela ed p ojec s (Lam & Yang, 2020). Con e sely, he IT p o ession
and ech indus y in Pakis an expe ienced a boos a e he COVID-19
pandemic, wi h e idence showing a posi i e impac on he sec o
(Mushafiq, 2023). IT companies in Pakis an o e hei p oduc s and
se ices o >100 coun ies (Kazmi, 2022). Gi en he echnological
ad ancemen in Hong Kong and he p og essi e g ow h o he ech
indus y in Pakis an, i is jus ified o compa e he pe spec i es on
echnology adop ion be ween Hong Kong (a de eloped economy)
and Pakis an (a de eloping economy). The findings o his esea ch
con ibu e o he li e a u e by demons a ing he unde lying mecha-
nism o suppo digi aliza ion and digi al ans o ma ion in he ech
indus y, ocusing on he p e ailing challenges, oppo uni ies, and
p ospec i e s a egies o o e come he challenges and o benefi
om he a ailable oppo uni ies. The es o he a icle is a anged as
ollows. Li e a u e e iew discusses exis ing li e a u e on digi aliza-
ion and digi al ans o ma ion. Me hodology explains he me hodol-
ogy, S udy findings and discussion demons a es findings and
discussion, and Conclusion concludes he s udy.
Li e a u e e iew
Digi aliza ion and digi al ans o ma ion
Wi h he inc easing esea ch in e es on digi al echnologies, he e
is a ise on he li e a u e ocused on digi iza ion, digi aliza ion, and
digi al ans o ma ion. Howe e , he e a e some concep ual o e laps
among he h ee cons uc s (G adillas & Thomas, 2023). These h ee
e ms a e o en used oge he and some imes in e changeably, which
could lead o he con usion i we jus di ec ly discuss hem wi hou
u he cla ifica ion in his s udy. The e o e, i is essen ial o define dig-
i iza ion, digi aliza ion and digi al ans o ma ion. Digi iza ion is
e e ed o he echnical p ocess o ans o ming he analogue in o -
ma ion in o he digi al o m, which esul s in he e ficiencies in e ms
o ime, cos and space (Begkos e al., 2023). Digi iza ion necessi a es
he de elopmen o digi al in as uc u es and applica ions, making i
ac ucialfi s s ep owa ds digi aliza ion, as i d i es he ma ginal cos
o p oducing in o ma ion goods o nea ze o and educes digi al s o -
age cos s, allowing o ganiza ions o d ama ically inc ease he amoun
o isible and a ailable da a (Bo can, 2021). Digi aliza ion is defined as
he abili y o an en e p ise o con e exis ing p oduc s and se ices
in o digi al e sions ha o e g ea e ad an ages han hei physical
coun e pa s (Zhang & Chen, 2024). Th ough digi aliza ion, en e -
p ises’business can gain a compe i i e edge by in oducing inno a i e
se ices ia digi al channels o adop ing new ope a ion managemen
sys ems ha acili a e he smoo h coo dina ion among p ocesses
(Cos a Melo e al., 2023). While digi aliza ion in ol es he imp o e-
men o business p ocesses h ough he use o echnology, digi al
ans o ma ion en ails he de elopmen o new business models by
le e aging and combining eme ging digi al echnologies such as a ifi-
cial in elligence, cloud compu ing, blockchain, and big da a (Malodia
e al., 2023), and i is he o ganiza ion-wide shi o business models o
digi al pla o ms by implemen ing digi alized business logic (Ve hoe
e al., 2021). In o he wo ds, digi al ans o ma ion is ega ded as a
kind o digi al s a egy ha eshapes an o ganiza ion o a ne wo k o
o ganiza ions ac oss mul iple dimensions, such as go e nance, leade -
ship, cul u e, wo k o ce and so on (Raza e al., 2023).
Rega ding he impac and con ibu ion, digi aliza ion and digi al
ans o ma ion ha e ans o med businesses and socie ies wo ldwide
(Fe nandez-Vidal e al., 2022;Popko a e al., 2022). In oday’s digi al
economy, digi aliza ion and digi al ans o ma ion a e c ucial o suc-
cess in he digi al landscape (Zhong & Ren, 2023) as hey in eg a e
echnology and digi al esou ces wi h en e p ise business ope a ions
(Zoppelle o e al., 2023). Digi aliza ion enhances business ope a-
ions, such as supply chain managemen , p oduc inno a ion, and
wo k o ce managemen (Bansal e al., 2023;Fe a is e al., 2020). I
also b ings abou inno a i e changes o business models (Ve hoe e
al., 2021;Rial i e al., 2022), educe ansac ion cos and financing
(Zhou & Li, 2023), imp o es p oduc i i y, e ficiency, and inno a ion
(Abudaqa e al., 2022;Beni ez e al., 2022;Chen e al., 2022), enhan-
ces en ep eneu ship (Ja a i-Sadeghi e al., 2021), and con ibu es o
o e all fi m pe o mance (Malodia e al., 2023). Especially in he
M.S. Sumbal, A. Ta iq, Q. Ambe e al. Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 9 (2024) 100551
2
cu en pos -pandemic e a, digi aliza ion and digi al ans o ma ion
ha e become c i ical ac o s o o ganiza ions seeking a compe i i e
edge (Bansal e al., 2023; Taj idi & Taj idi, 2020). Digi aliza ion pla -
o ms can also con ibu e o de eloping ha d and so skills, ensu ing
he acquisi ion o new and ele an knowledge o unc ional asks
(Amankwah-Amoah e al., 2021).
S a egies and challenges o digi al ans o ma ion
Digi al ans o ma ion shapes he ecosys em h ough new busi-
ness models (San os e al., 2023). In his di ec ion, he li e a u e dis-
cusses se e al s a egies o e ec i e digi al ans o ma ion in
o ganiza ions (Ba goni e al., 2024;K aus e al., 2021). Linking digi al
ans o ma ion wi h digi al en ep eneu ship, Paul e al. (2023) ha e
de ised a s a egy o con e adi ional o ganiza ions in o digi al by
e ec i ely ansi ioning owa ds a digi al ecosys em. They de elop a
concep ual amewo k o he digi aliza ion p ocess h ough a s uc-
u ed li e a u e syn hesis. The s a egies hey sugges ed a e he c ea-
ion o a digi al knowledge base, adop ion o digi al echnology,
eadiness o digi al pla o m, business p ocess ans o ma ion, busi-
ness esou ces ans o ma ion, and business model ans o ma ion.
Th ough a li e a u e e iew, T ene y e al. (2021) ha e iden ified
suppo ing ac o s o digi al ans o ma ion a he indi idual, g oup,
and o ganiza ional le els. Indi idual-le el s a egies a e echnology
accep ance and adop ion, pe cep ions and a i udes, skills and ain-
ing, wo kplace esilience and adap abili y, and wo k- ela ed s ess
and well-being. Team communica ion and collabo a ion, wo kplace
ela ionship and eam iden ifica ion, and eam esilience and adap -
abili y a e a he g oup le el. Leade ship, human esou ces, and o ga-
niza ional cul u e a e he s a egies ha o ganiza ions ha e o
conside o digi al ans o ma ion. Howe e , s a egies o digi al
ans o ma ion need o be de ised sepa a ely o SMEs (Ba goni e al.,
2024) and la ge fi ms. Zoppelle o e al. (2023) ha e iden ified mic o-
le el s a egies o SMEs and la ge o ganiza ions. They sugges ed a
pee - u o app oach o SMEs ha p omo es in o mal leade ship o
edesign and edis ibu e wo k asks, os e an en ep eneu ial
app oach, be en husias ic abou digi al issues, and encou age wo k-
o ce cul u al shi . In la ge fi ms, hey sugges ed a conduc o
app oach ha p omo es digi al ans o ma ion leade ship wi h
au onomy in decisions and decen aliza ion in decision making,
de ises and p omo es o mal go e nance a chi ec u e o digi al
ans o ma ion, mo i a es and s eng hens digi al mindse , and
encou ages e- ainings. These s a egies acili a e o ganiza ional
g ow h and esilience specifically in pos -COVID-19 con ex .
Keeping in iew he COVID-19 con ex , while San os e al. (2023)
ha e discussed he s a egies o e ec i e digi al ans o ma ion, i.e.,
c ea i e digi al pi o ing, main aining digi al in as uc u e and by c e-
a ing social impac h ough digi al echnology, hey indica ed some
ba ie s o digi al ans o ma ion, i.e., physical and emo ional demands
o echnology c ea ing a bu den o he adop ion o digi al echnology.
Acco ding o he s udy conduc ed by Jia e al. (2024),al houghabou
70 % o Chinese SMEs ha e adop ed he digi al ans o ma ion, mos o
hem a e in he ini ial and adop ion s ages and ha e no ye achie ed
significan sa is ac o y s a us, which makes i a challenge o p omo e
SMEs o ac i ely p ocess digi al ans o ma ion. Fo SMEs, he lack o
ac i e digi al hinking, weak digi al ounda ion, employees’knowledge
and skills, and limi ed unds make he oad o digi al ans o ma ion
di ficul (Teng e al., 2022). Some li e a u e also analyzes he di e en
challenges aced by di e en indus ies o he digi al ans o ma ion
(Akba i e al., 2024;Dal Mas e al., 2023). Fo example, Quy e al.
(2023) iden ified ou significan challenges aced by he highe educa-
ion: legal basis, changing hinking and managemen capaci y, in o -
ma ion echnology in as uc u e, and he skills and access capabili ies
o IT. In he pos -COVID-19 con ex , he challenges iden ified by
Almeida e al. (2020) a e he adop ion o elewo k and dis ance wo k-
ing, he g ow h o e-comme ce, cybe secu i y, and p i acy.
Coinciden ally, he s udy in es iga ed by S ewa (2023) also showed
ha as digi al ans o ma ion g adually ad ances, secu i y issues such
as da a leakage pose challenges, which canno be igno ed. Fu he -
mo e, ec ui ing and e aining employee who has digi al echnology
knowledge has become a majo obs acle o he en e p ises du ing he
digi al ans o ma ion p ocess (Dal Mas e al., 2023).
Me hodology
To explo e he s a egy explo a ion and he ex en o he digi al
di ide o digi aliza ion and digi al ans o ma ion in he ech indus-
y, an in-dep h quali a i e explo a ion o he phenomenon was con-
duc ed. Quali a i e esea ch me hods we e employed o ga he ich
and de ailed insigh s in o he expe iences, pe spec i es, and p ac ices
o echnology adop ion in selec ed coun ies, i.e., Hong Kong and
Pakis an. We comp ehensi ely unde s ood each coun y’s con ex ,
challenges, oppo uni ies, and s a egies h ough in e iews and
analysis o ele an documen s. This quali a i e app oach allowed o
a nuanced examina ion o he ac o s influencing echnology adop-
ion and he specific dynamics in de eloped and de eloping coun-
ies. By del ing in o he in icacies o he phenomenon, his s udy
aimed o p o ide aluable insigh s and con ibu e o he exis ing
body o knowledge in he a ea o digi aliza ion and digi al ans o -
ma ion and add ess he digi al di ide.
S udy pa icipan s
Based on he na u e o he phenomena unde s udy, a heo e ical
sampling app oach is adop ed, and esponden s a e ca e ully selec ed
o be he mos ele an and app op ia e o espond o he s udy ques-
ions (Glase & S auss, 1967). I was ensu ed ha he chosen espond-
en s could p o ide ich insigh s abou he challenges and
oppo uni ies aced by IT p o essionals and ech o ganiza ions. Ou
sample includes middle and op manage ial IT p o essionals wi h ich
expe ience in he ech indus y. Fo he selec ion o ou in o man s,
we es ablished ou essen ial c i e ia. Fi s , esponden s mus belong
o a pu e ech-based o ganiza ion in he IT indus y. Second, hey mus
ha e a leas fi e yea s o indus y expe ience in a manage ial posi ion.
Thi d, hey ha e been in execu i e manage ial posi ions o a leas
h ee yea s. Fou h, hey mus lead a eam o a leas fi e people.
Da a collec ion
−
expe s’in e iews
By implemen ing a semi-s uc u ed in e iew app oach and
employing a well-c a ed in e iew p o ocol, he esea ch sough o
acqui e comp ehensi e and insigh ul da a di ec ly om he pa ici-
pan s (Plaikne e al., 2023). This me hodology p o ides he flexibili y
needed o del e in o pa icipan s’unique expe iences and pe spec-
i es while ensu ing consis en co e age o ele an opics ac oss
in e iews (
Saky _
e-S a nick_
e e al., 2023). The collec ed da a con ib-
u es o a ho ough unde s anding o he challenges, oppo uni ies,
and s a egies encoun e ed by o ganiza ions in he ech indus y.
We included h ee main ques ions in he in e iew p o ocol: (1)
Wha oppo uni ies do o ganiza ions o esee ha could impac ech-
nology adop ion, i.e., au oma ion, digi aliza ion, AI, Da a Science, and
Big Da a Analy ics o imp o ed decision-making and e ficiency in
he pos -COVID-19 e a? (2) Wha challenges a e o ganiza ions acing
in he adop ion o echnology? (3) Could you iden i y s a egies o
adop ing e ec i e and e ficien echnology? A o al o eigh een semi-
s uc u ed in e iews we e conduc ed om Hong Kong and Pakis an.
The esponden s we e selec ed om he ech indus y, specifically
om o ganiza ions ha p o ide ech solu ions o public and p i a e
sec o o ganiza ions. These esponden s belonged o middle and
highe managemen wi h de ails p o ided in Table 1. The espond-
en s we e app oached using mul iple sou ces, i.e., LinkedIn, email,
phone calls, and messages ( ex and Wha sApp) o seek hei consen
M.S. Sumbal, A. Ta iq, Q. Ambe e al. Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 9 (2024) 100551
3
and a ailabili y o an in e iew. A e he in o man s ag eed o an
in e iew, hey we e gi en mul iple op ions o an in e iew.
Depending on he a ailabili y and con enience o pa icipan s, online
and ace- o- ace in e iews we e conduc ed o bo h g oups o
esponden s. Acco ding o he esponden s ’p e e ence, a ious
online ideo con e encing ools we e used, such as Zoom, Wha sApp,
and MS Teams. Da a was collec ed o e one yea , om Decembe
2022 o Decembe 2023. All he in e iews we e eco ded a e seek-
ing esponden s’consen . The in e iews we e conduc ed in English;
howe e , cla ifica ions we e p o ided in a ew in e iews conduc ed
in local languages, i.e., Can onese and U du.
The in e iews las ed be ween o y o fi y minu es o Hong Kong
esponden s and hi y o o y-fi e minu es in leng h o esponden s
om Pakis an. Be o e he in e iew, he pu pose o he in e iew was
explained o he pa icipan s. Some imes, in e iew ques ions we e
sen o he in o man s be o e he in e iews. We adop ed an app oach
o dialogue ansla ion ins ead o exac wo d- o-wo d ansla ion and
ensu ed he minimum loss o o iginal meaning as sugges ed in he li -
e a u e (Temple & Young, 2004). Howe e , wo d- o-wo d ansc ip-
ion has been pe o med whe e esponden s esponded in English,
and ansla ion was no equi ed. In case o ambigui y, he esponden s
we e app oached o cla ifica ion du ing ansc ip ion.
Da a analysis
T ansc ibed da a was analyzed using con en analysis, which
" e eals bo h dep h and meaning in pa icipan s’u e ances”(Lindg en
e al., 2020, p. 1). Con en analysis is gaining accep abili y among
esea che s because i acili a es "unde s anding a phenomenon by ana-
lyzing he p esence o meaning and ela ionships h ough a ious o ms
o human ac i i y and communica ions”(Sel i, 2019,p.440).Among
he mul iple op ions o conduc ing con en analysis, i.e., eading
esea ch in he domain, collabo a ing wi h expe s, and di ec ly examin-
ing he domain Slocum and Rol (2021), we adop ed collabo a ion wi h
expe s. Following he manual analysis app oach, in e iew ansc ip s
we e ead epea edly, wo d by wo d, line by line, and pa ag aph by pa -
ag aph, o iden i y ini ial codes and hemes. Fi s -le el codes a e he ich
collec ion o codes based on he o iginal language used by he espond-
en s. Compa ison and ela ionship be ween codes a e es ablished un il
hey each he poin o heo e ical sa u a ion, yielding no u he
insigh s (Glase & S auss, 1967). The discussions wi h he esponden s
lead us o o e lapping concep s among he h ee dimensions o chal-
lenges, oppo uni ies and s a egies. I was, he e o e, challenging o
come up wi h a model ha gi es a clea pic u e o wha s a egies
would be adop ed by he ech indus y o add ess he challenges. Fo
his pu pose, au ho s ha e done ounds o discussions on gene a ed
hemes and codes. The hemes o challenges, oppo uni ies, and s a e-
gies ha e eme ged wi h he sub hemes o b ain d ain, secu i y, and e hi-
cal issues; blended wo k o ce and dawn o Gig economy and alue
c ea ion om big da a, a ificial in elligence, and gene a i e AI; and
echnology and imp o ed human esou ce p ac ices, espec i ely. These
sub- hemes ha e co e ed eme ging issues iden ified by he espond-
en s, which we e ini ially coded and hen desc ibed in de ail wi h e ba-
im in he esul s sec ion. A e he hemes and codes we e finalized, he
ela ionship be ween hemes and codes was es ablished. A sepa a e
analysis is pe o med o Hong Kong and Pakis an da a using he same
pa e n. The esul s a e hen compa ed and con as ed o each a con-
clusion.
S udy findings and discussion
Digi aliza ion and digi al ans o ma ion: challenges
This sec ion discusses he challenges IT p o essionals and ech
o ganiza ions ace ega ding digi aliza ion and digi al ans o ma ion
in Hong Kong and Pakis an.
Table 1
Responden s’p ofile.
Hong Kong Pakis an
Code Designa ion Age Expe ience Gende Du a ion Mode Code Designa ion Age Expe ience Gende Du a ion Mode
HK1 Chai man 54 20 Male 30:00 In Pe son PK1 Vice CEO 48 16 Male 15:05 Online (MS-Teams)
HK2 Chai man 46 16 Male 25:00 In Pe son PK2 Manage Cybe secu i y 35 5 Female 48:00 In Pe son
HK3 Di ec o 58 22 Male 20:00 In Pe son PK3 Head Da a Science 40 13 Male 15:26 Online (Wha sApp)
HK4 Head o A ificial In elligence 42 8 Male 40:00 In Pe son PK4 Ne wo k Planning Enginee 39 5 Male 18:33 Online (Wha sApp)
HK5 Head o In o ma ion Technology 53 12 Male 51:07 In Pe son PK5 P ojec Manage 35 6 Male 20:55 Online (Zoom)
HK6 Di ec o 38 5 Male 37:45 Online (Wha sApp) PK6 Manage Sys ems 40 17 Male 15:25 Online (Wha sApp)
HK7 Chie Technical O fice 35 12 Male 20:36 Online (Wha sApp) PK7 Manage Ne wo ks 44 16 Male 17:35 Online (Zoom)
HK8 Execu i e Di ec o 53 14 Male 24:36 Online (MS-Teams) PK8 Da a Scien is 42 5 Female 40:00 In Pe son
HK9 IT Di ec o 36 5 Female 35:00 Online (Zoom) PK9 Chie Technology O fice 61 28 Male 25:00 In Pe son
M.S. Sumbal, A. Ta iq, Q. Ambe e al. Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 9 (2024) 100551
4
B ain d ain
Conce ning he employee e en ion challenge, b ain d ain is he
mos p onounced issue in Hong Kong. Simila ly, b ain d ain in he
medical and heal h indus y was also e iden du ing he pandemic
(Dzinama i a & Musuka, 2021;Lawal e al., 2022). Tech p o essionals
equen ly mo e o o he coun ies om Hong Kong o pu sue hei
ca ee s and o be e p ospec s. To o e come his challenge, a sub-
s an ial sala y ise is also e iden du ing and a e COVID-19. Con-
a ily, IT p o essionals in Pakis an op ed o eelancing
oppo uni ies wi h in e na ional o ganiza ions, lea ing a space in he
local ma ke . In con as o he e e se b ain d ain in Eu ope (Baka-
lo a e al., 2021), Hong Kong and Pakis an ha e aced se e e b ain
d ain o IT p o essionals, especially a e he pandemic. He e is an
example esponse om Hong Kong:
"Mos o he companies imp o ed in as uc u e and equi e IT s a .
They a e willing o pay highe sala ies, i.e., a 50 % inc ease in las
yea ’s sala ies, o cope wi h he sca ci y o IT p o essionals who
mo ed o o he coun ies. Employees also mo ed o o he companies
o be e packages (30
−
40 %), c ea ing a oid in he indus y. E en
hough we o e ed wo k om home, mos o he employees e used.
They p e e o go o o he coun ies like he UK. The e a e oppo uni-
ies o IT people e e ywhe e, so hey a e mo ing o be e places o
be e oppo uni ies" (hk5)
The b ain d ain dilemma is a challenge ela ed o COVID-19; how-
e e , i s ill exis s a e he pandemic phase is o e . Despi e exponen-
ial sala y inc eases, he ech indus y s ill s uggles o acqui e ech
p o essionals, especially in Pakis an. The easons a e iden ified in he
ollowing example esponse:
“The boom o IT p o essionals’demands wo ldwide, along wi h o he
ac o s like economic c isis, poli ical si ua ion, infla ion, e c., in Paki-
s an a e he compelling ac o s o indi iduals o mig a e o o he
coun ies. Mo eo e , IT p o essionals a e also inclined owa ds
emo e and eelancing jobs, and i lea es a oid in Pakis ani indus-
ies" (pk2)
Besides he coun y’s economic, poli ical, and pandemic si ua ion,
he in e na ional ma ke also p omo ed a b ain d ain in Pakis an. We
can ha e an idea o how his si ua ion is p e ailing in he ollowing
example:
“O he han mig a ion o o he coun ies, local IT p o essionals a e
engaged wi h in e na ional o ganiza ions in bo h he capaci y o
eelancing and emo e wo k. I acili a es local IT p o essionals wi h
in e na ional compe i i e ma ke sala ies, and hus hey p e e o
wo k o in e na ional ma ke a he o se e na ional o ganiza ions
on a minimum sala y”(pk8)
B ain d ain poses ano he challenge o he ech indus y, pa icu-
la ly a e he pandemic, wi h a significan inc ease in ma ke
demand o IT p o essionals. I has become a global dilemma and a
p essing issue in human his o y (Moody, 2021). O ganiza ions can
adop mul iple s a egies o add ess his issue, such as imp o ing
wo k p ac ices and c ea ing a conduci e wo k en i onmen o os e
employee e en ion. Es ablishing be e wo k p ac ices, nu u ing an
o ganiza ional cul u e, and p o iding a a o able wo k en i onmen
c ea e goodwill o o ganiza ions and a ac p o essionals (G eimel
e al., 2023). O e ing ma ke -compe i i e sala ies and o he benefi s
appeals o p o essionals in de eloped and de eloping coun ies.
Fu he mo e, go e nmen s can os e a suppo i e ecosys em by
in es ing in educa ion, esea ch and de elopmen , echnology in a-
s uc u e, en ep eneu ship, and echnop eneu ship p ojec s (Ja a i-
Sadeghi e al., 2021). Re aining alen wi hin he coun y can be
achie ed h ough policies ha c ea e mo e oppo uni ies, imp o e
sala y anges, p omo e indus y-academia collabo a ion, and p o ide
ax incen i es o companies engaged in esea ch and de elopmen .
Collabo a ion be ween de eloped and de eloping coun ies o edu-
ca ion, esea ch and de elopmen , skill de elopmen , and exchange
p og ams can also help o dec ease he exis ing b ain d ain. Addi ion-
ally, p omo ing e e se b ain d ain by c ea ing employmen oppo u-
ni ies wi h in e na ionally compe i i e income, unding esea ch and
de elopmen p ojec s, and o e ing ax b eaks can be e ec i e (Baka-
lo a e al., 2021).
Go e nmen policies aimed a c ea ing a suppo i e ecosys em
should add ess he oo causes and be aligned wi h he eali ies o
each coun y. Fo ins ance, in de eloping coun ies, he leading
cause o b ain d ain is IT p o essionals’inclina ion owa ds eelanc-
ing and emo e jobs wi h in e na ional o ganiza ions, d i en by he
desi e o highe income h ough a o able cu ency exchange
a es. This de ia ion can be managed by o e ing high sala ies and
a ac i e wo k en i onmen s. On he o he hand, in de eloped
coun ies, b ain d ain p ima ily s ems om alen mig a ion o
o he coun ies, which can be add essed by c ea ing mo e and be -
e oppo uni ies and imp o ing he wo k en i onmen . C ea ing a
suppo i e ecosys em is he only way o minimize he b ain d ain
dilemma in ech o ganiza ions. I equi es mul idimensional in es -
men s, employee e en ion policies, in e na ional collabo a ions
om di e en pe spec i es, and os e ing e e se b ain d ain in
de eloped and de eloping coun ies.
Secu i y and e hical conce ns
Ano he c i ical challenge iden ified om ou findings ela es o
secu i y and e hical alues. Secu i y conce ns, da a b eaches, cybe se-
cu i y, phishing, cybe c ime, e c., a e he ocus o e e y ech o gani-
za ion and IT p o essionals hese days (Ch is iansen e al., 2022;
S amoulis, 2022). This conce n is mo e p onounced, especially when
he COVID-19 c isis is o e . Tech o ganiza ions, specifically, a e aced
wi h se e e secu i y conce ns (Almeida e al., 2020;Hanisch e al.,
2023). Responden s om bo h coun ies ha e demons a ed hei
conce ns abou secu i y issues in ech o ganiza ions. Fo example:
“Technology adop ion c ea es in o ma ion secu i y and da a p i acy
conce ns. We usually can’ apply oo much in o ma ion secu i y con-
ol o he solu ion. We ha e o ely on wo ke s o handle company
da a and some o ou clien da a. We canno ha e a pe ec sys em;
howe e , ou company is e y conce ned abou p i acy." (hk5)
"Wi h da a p o ec ion and cybe secu i y isks, o ganiza ions mus
align hei p io i ies wi h da a p o ec ion and secu i y in he nex
ew yea s and mon hs. I helps you o implemen digi aliza ion in a
much be e sense" (pk1)
E hics a e he co e conce n o ech o ganiza ions as hey a e
linked o he sys em’s secu i y and o ganiza ional da a. E hical con-
ce ns a e mainly oo ed in e hical alues in all p ocesses and ac i i-
ies o o ganiza ions, especially human esou ce managemen . Ha e
a look a how ou esponden s explained i :
“E hical alues in ec ui men : o ganiza ions ha e o ensu e and ake
such measu es o include whe he a candida e possesses e hical al-
ues o no , bu as we see, alen is sca ce in Hong Kong, so a imes,
we ha e o hi e people and la e on ain hem and ensu e ha hey
wo k acco ding o he o ganiza ional ules and egula ions" (hk6)
“...People who ha e pe sonal in eg i y will no comp omise on he
o ganiza ional conce ns”(hk7)
"Da a is c ucial o making decisions. So, p o ec ing da a is ex emely
impo an i you wo k wi h ou side o ganiza ions. So, om my poin
o iew, con inuous ocus on cybe secu i y and in o ma ion secu i y
a e he a eas Pakis ani o ganiza ions ha e o ocus on. So ha people
unde s and da a p i acy, da a loss, da a p o ec ion and ake ue
measu es o p o ec da a in o ganiza ions”(pk1)
M.S. Sumbal, A. Ta iq, Q. Ambe e al. Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 9 (2024) 100551
5
Secu i y conce ns ange om da a b eaches o a ious cybe -
c imes, including phishing, cybe -a acks, and malwa e (Ch is iansen
e al., 2022;S amoulis, 2022). O ganiza ions mus add ess hese con-
ce ns h ough mul iple s a egies, such as implemen ing obus secu-
i y measu es, keeping employees in o med abou secu i y h ea s,
and p o iding aining and de elopmen on he la es secu i y ends
(Hanisch e al., 2023). Secu i y and e hical conce ns o digi al ans-
o ma ion need p ac i ione s o ocus on de eloped and de eloping
coun ies. Howe e , policymake s in de eloping coun ies need o
pu mo e emphasis on his.
Digi aliza ion and digi al ans o ma ion: oppo uni ies
This sec ion discusses he oppo uni ies o digi aliza ion and digi-
al ans o ma ion ha ha e eme ged o IT p o essionals and ech
o ganiza ions in Hong Kong and Pakis an. The e a o he Gig Economy
and blended wo k o ce, along wi h alue c ea ion by a ificial in elli-
gence, obo ics, and gene a i e AI, ha e become wo key elemen s
ha suppo digi aliza ion and digi al ans o ma ion oday.
Blended wo k o ce and he dawn o he gig economy
The gig economy is no a new concep and can be aced back o
1920. Howe e , he idea has gained momen um a e he pandemic
(Shaw e al., 2022). These concep s will no end wi h COVID-19 bu
a e gi ing new dimensions o he new no mal o all employees a all
le els and all indus ies, especially IT p o essionals and he ech
indus y. I has changed he wo k dynamics and eme ged as an
oppo uni y o widesp ead digi aliza ion and digi al ans o ma ion
in o ganiza ions, especially ech o ganiza ions. O ganiza ions p e-
e ed hi ing skilled esou ces a ailable anywhe e in he wo ld. The
whole p ocess o eam hi ing, eam de elopmen , and eam manage-
men is shi ing owa ds i ual ec ui men , which is why digi al
ans o ma ion in o ganiza ions is ine i able. Ou esponden s om
bo h coun ies highligh ed his conce n as:
“The en i e ec ui men p ocess shi s o i ual mode, in e iews i -
ually, mee ing people you ne e me physically, i ual hi ing o ull-
ime and pa - ime s a , and i ual eam mee ings mul iple imes a
week. I changed he wo k dynamics; you ha e o wo k online o do
no wo k”(hk7)
"Ano he challenge is employee e en ion. O ganiza ions ailed badly
in e aining hei people. I becomes s aigh o wa d o people o
swi ch jobs. People a e now ha ing mo e oppo uni ies wi h highe
sala ies wo king as eelance s, and i comple ely changed he indus-
y scena io”(pk2)
Bo h o hese esponses om Hong Kong and Pakis an b oadly
demons a e he shi in wo k dynamics; howe e , hey ha e di e -
en app oaches o oppo uni y and challenge om he esponden s
om Hong Kong and Pakis an. The concep and e m used o wo k-
ing wi h he di e se wo k o ce in Hong Kong is Lego eams, whe e
eams a e wo king wi h a ied and sca e ed eam membe s,
explained by a esponden as:
"G adually, IT o ganiza ions s a ed building eams i ually. Also,
i ual se ices. I ’s like a Lego eam building, so e e ybody is sca -
e ed, and you do i h ough you communica ion skills. Communica-
ion was impo an in building i ual eams and ge ing hings done
i ually. Tha ’s how we ensu ed eam pe o mance" (hk8)
The concep o i ual eams and emo e wo k is also e iden in
Pakis an. Howe e , he di e ence is ha ech o ganiza ions build and
manage i ual eams in Hong Kong. In Pakis an, IT p o essionals a e
pa o he wo ldwide i ual eams h ough op ions such as eelanc-
ing and emo e jobs.
"O ganiza ions wo king in he US and o he coun ies a e now mo e
flexible o hi e people om Pakis an because o no physical bounda y
equi emen ”(pk1)
Ano he oppo uni y has eme ged as pa o he gig economy, i.e.,
bounda yless collabo a ion and coo dina ion. People om di e en
ci ies, coun ies, and con inen s collabo a e and help each o he
wi hou ha ing physical in e ac ion. Online coo dina ion and collabo-
a ion a in e and in a-o ganiza ional le els equi e digi al ans o -
ma ion in o ganiza ions. Du ing he pandemic, online
communica ion pla o ms and social media we e used ex ensi ely,
esul ing in subs an ially inc eased online collabo a ion and coo di-
na ion in bo h de eloped and de eloping economies, as shown in he
below quo es:
"The concep ion was o s a comple ely online wo k, which go well
and smoo h, and i ne e ma e s whe e you a e physically. You can
gi e ecommenda ions o iends who li e in o he coun ies. Tha is
a big oppo uni y”(hk7)
“The g ea es benefi o he pos -COVID-19 e a is ha i emo es he
physical bounda ies. O ganiza ions belie ed ha employees should be
p esen in he o fice icini y, now his app oach does no exis ”(pk1)
The gig economy is an e ol ing concep o flexible, digi ally medi-
a ed employmen a angemen s (Shaw e al., 2022). I o e s o gani-
za ions flexible labo by hi ing independen employees o cope wi h
eal- ime demand (Allon e al., 2023). Knowledge wo ke s in he gig
economy ace challenges such as low pay, lack o job secu i y,
educed abili y o communica e o ba gain collec i ely wi h employ-
e s, and ill-adap ed egula o y s uc u es (Sumbal e al., 2023;Shaw
e al., 2022). I is, he e o e, impe a i e o p ac i ione s and policy-
make s o come up wi h policies ha suppo gig IT p o essionals and
ech o ganiza ions bo h in de eloped and de eloping coun ies. Digi-
al ans o ma ion is ine i able in he ech indus y o suppo he gig
economy and help IT p o essionals. Based on hese a gumen s, he
fi s p eposi ion demons a ing he oppo uni y o ech o ganiza-
ions and IT p o essionals is:
P1: Gig wo ke s a e pa and pa cel o Tech o ganiza ions. Bo h de el-
oped and de eloping coun ies should ocus on de ising e ec i e
digi al ans o ma ion policies ha suppo gig wo ke s and ech
o ganiza ions o suppo he gig economy.
Value c ea ion om big da a, a ificial in elligence and gene a i e AI
Adop ing echnology also inc eased awa eness o he ex ensi e
use o da a o decision-making o enhance o ganiza ional and indi-
idual e ficiency and p oduc i i y. A ificial in elligence, big da a, he
In e ne o Things, and obo ics ha e been ex ensi ely deployed in
o ganiza ions and ha e become he way o wa d o e ficien digi ali-
za ion and digi al ans o ma ion in ech o ganiza ions (Almeida e
al., 2020). Tech o ganiza ions in Hong Kong ha e al eady imple-
men ed a decision suppo sys em buil on o ganiza ional da a, espe-
cially big da a. Howe e , he ech indus y in Pakis an is mo ing in
his di ec ion. A esponden om Pakis an s a ed his as:
“O ganiza ions a e p oducing eno mous amoun s o da a hey can
use o cons uc i e pu poses and o ha e s ong decisions. Ou
indus y is e ec i ely mo ing in his di ec ion”(pk3)
Mo eo e , gene a i e AI is an e ol ing concep changing he land-
scape o employees and o ganiza ions (Sumbal & Ambe , 2024;Naz-
ee e al., 2023). I is accep ed and adop ed in he wo ld, ei he
de eloped o de eloping. Howe e , indi iduals and o ganiza ions a e
deciding on i s use by simul aneously a oiding he associa ed cons.
The li e a u e demons a es i s impac on o ganiza ions and
M.S. Sumbal, A. Ta iq, Q. Ambe e al. Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 9 (2024) 100551
6
o ganiza ional decision-making (Sumbal & Ambe , 2024;Dwi edi e
al., 2023;Nazee e al., 2023). Ou esponden s om de eloped and
de eloping coun ies also highligh ed he impo ance and u iliza ion
o gene a i e AI in o ganiza ions. Fo example:
“... Cha GPT is a g ea e olu ion, especially o IT p o essionals. We
can ge eno mous benefi s like code w i ing, e o , and bugs iden ifi-
ca ion and co ec ions”(hk9)
“Tech o ganiza ions need o in eg a e hei sys em wi h he gene a-
i e AI ... o ge eno mous benefi s o hei digi al sys em”(pk8)
The de elopmen and g owing use o a ificial in elligence and
gene a i e AI a e now apidly changing o ganiza ional dynamics
(Dwi edi e al., 2023). Using na u al language p ocessing, a ificial
in elligence, and machine and deep lea ning, gene a i e AI is he
nex miles one o ech o ganiza ions and IT p o essionals o achie e
p oduc i i y and e ficiency. I s blessings a e discussed in di e en
dimensions o o ganiza ional p ac ices, o ins ance, cus ome sup-
po , ma ke ing, communica ion, knowledge managemen , e c. (Dwi-
edi e al., 2020;Nazee e al., 2023). Now is he ime o ech
o ganiza ions and IT p o essionals o ully g ab he oppo uni ies o
gene a i e AI and in eg a e i wi h he digi al sys em o imp o e
wo k dynamics. These a gumen s lead o he second p oposi ion:
P2:Gene a i e AI has he po en ial o imp o e wo k dynamics in
o ganiza ions. Tech o ganiza ions and IT p o essionals om de el-
oped and de eloping coun ies mus benefi om his eme ging
echnological b eak h ough and maximize he use o hei digi al
sys ems.
Digi aliza ion and digi al ans o ma ion: s a egies
This sec ion discusses he s a egies IT p o essionals and ech
o ganiza ions adop o digi aliza ion and digi al ans o ma ion in
Hong Kong and Pakis an.
Technop eneu ship
Technop eneu ship is he ecen ly eme ging concep combining
echnology and en ep eneu ship, which e e s o echnology-based
o ganiza ions o high- ech en u es (Halim e al., 2023;Oko ie e al.,
2014). Technop eneu ial o ganiza ions ha e "(1) he abili y o inno-
a e; (2) he abili y o c ea e, (3) da e (4) en e in o unexplo ed pa hs,
(5) an en husias ic spi i , (6) be cu ious, (7) no ea o ailu e, (8) can
o e come in e nal ea s, (9) abili y o use echnology as a key and
in eg a ed componen o goods and se ices”(Abbas, 2018, p. 563).
Al hough ech-based p oduc s we e he ocus o de eloped econo-
mies e en be o e he pandemic, hea y in es men s ha e been made
by indus y and go e nmen s in echnop eneu p ojec s in Hong
Kong. Howe e , his aspec was ound missing in he con ex o Paki-
s an’s de eloping economy. Howe e , he end o echnology adop-
ion is on he ise. Keeping in iew how echnological solu ions a e
de eloped in he wake o he Co id-19 pandemic and how new busi-
nesses and p oduc s we e de eloped, digi al en ep eneu ship seems
an ine i able phenomenon in he u u e (Feliciano-Ces e o e al.,
2023;K aus e al., 2018;Su yan e al., 2023). Digi al ans o ma ion is
ine i able o high- ech en u es, as well as bo h in a- and in e -
indus y collabo a ion. Ou esponden s om Hong Kong ha e
ouched on he poin :
"Collabo a ion o ech indus y wi h o he indus ies like medical,
ag icul u e, e c. o imp o ing he5i p ocesses, o he adop ion o
AI-based solu ions and de elopmen and implemen a ion o da a-
based decision suppo sys em becomes a new end”(hk1)
E idence om Hong Kong demons a es ha a e he pandemic,
ech o ganiza ions and IT p o essionals a e mo e ocused on
achie ing highe p oduc i i y and inno a ion in hei o ganiza ions
and de eloping ech-based p oduc s and se ices. Fo example:
"Pos COVID-19, we a e now mo e ocused on inno a ion. We
encou age ou s a o p opose any inno a ion, whe he o imp o e
wo ding, amend a o m o make i easie o unde s and people, use
some echnology o make i as e , o imp o e he accu acy o da a,
e c. We encou age hem o p opose any hing we can do. We also
picked 3
−
4 p ojec s o wa ch [moni o ] inno a ion" (hk5)
Technop eneu ship o digi al en ep eneu ship is a p oac i e
app oach o o e come he challenges b ough by COVID-19 o IT
p o essionals and he ech indus y. I is c ucial o e hink en e-
p eneu ship in he pos -pandemic e a (Sha ma e al., 2022). Tech-
nop eneu ship is essen ial o compe i i e ad an age, economic
g ow h, and social de elopmen (Halim e al., 2023). The mo e digi-
alized he ech o ganiza ions a e, he mo e hey can suppo o he
indus ies o echnop eneu ship. To achie e op imum compe i-
i eness and o he ad an ages h ough digi aliza ion and digi al
ans o ma ion in ech o ganiza ions, he bes app oach is o
emb ace echnop eneu ship a all le els, including go e nmen ,
o ganiza ions, and indi iduals. These a gumen s lead o he hi d
p oposi ion:
P3: Technop eneu ship o digi al en ep eneu ship is needed o
a ain an op imal compe i i e ad an age h ough digi aliza ion
and digi al ans o ma ion in ech o ganiza ions. I is well imple-
men ed in de eloped coun ies bu needs p omp ac ion in de el-
oping coun ies.
Imp o ed human esou ce managemen p ac ices
Tech o ganiza ions a e now conce ned abou hei employees.
Rapid echnological ad ancemen and he COVID-19 c isis ha e nega-
i ely impac ed employees in e e y field o li e, especially hose in
he IT p o ession. Because o his, ech o ganiza ions a e now mo e
ocused on hei ec ui men s a egies, employees’sa is ac ion,
mo i a ion, and engagemen o achie e p oduc i i y and o ensu e
employee e en ion. Fo example:
"Main aining equi y in o ganiza ions and ensu ing access o basic
li ing s anda ds can help o ganiza ions o a ac and e ain compe-
en minds ha will ensu e implemen a ion o he echnological e -
olu ion in o ganiza ions" (hk2)
“Focus, now, is shi ed on s a egic hi ing. Building up mo e comme -
cializa ion expe ise and hi ing o mo e global mindse ei he o eign
o e u nees is ine i able”(hk2)
“We now li e in a globalized and well-connec ed e a whe e you need
o de ise a s a egy ha e e yone should know why he/she is doing
some hing so ha hey a e mo e p oduc i e and adap i e o echnol-
ogy. Th ough ha hinking, hey [o ganiza ions] mus build a s a -
egy o ulfill hei employees’needs while wo king wi h he
echnology. By in es ing in hei employee’s sa is ac ion and engage-
men " (pk5)
Li e a u e, in his ein, has sugges ed echnological solu ions o
he comple e ec ui men p ocess, i.e., ech-led hi ing, ech-led
onboa ding, ech-led aining and de elopmen , ech-led pe o -
mance managemen , ech-led employee engagemen , ech-led
ewa ds and incen i e (Bansal e al., 2023) which c ea es a mo e e fi-
cien and be e sys em o manage he human esou ces.
In o ma ion secu i y and e hical conce ns a e he mos significan
issues o o ganiza ions wo ldwide o ponde (D agan, 2021;Fle che
& G i fi hs, 2020). De eloped coun ies in his di ec ion ensu e in o -
ma ion secu i y in h ee dimensions: s eng hening he sys em,
M.S. Sumbal, A. Ta iq, Q. Ambe e al. Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 9 (2024) 100551
7
onboa ding he igh people, and de eloping mu ual us . Ou
esponden s om Hong Kong highligh ed hese dimensions as:
"When employees wo k in an o fice en i onmen , we ha e s ic con-
ol and es ic ions, such as hey can’ b ing USBs, copy files, e c. Bu
when hey wo ked om home, in he beginning, we didn’ ha e
much con ol o e employees, and he e was no in o ma ion secu i y
mechanism. We mus ely on hem ... We ask hem o keep he da a
sa e. We us hem. No signing o any documen s. I was jus mu ual
us . Bu g adually, we imp o ed ou sys em and s eng hened ou
pla o m. They can’ copy any hing om emo e access as we dis-
abled i " (hk5)
“T us is he majo elemen . The e is mu ual us be ween employees
and o ganiza ions ha wo k mo e han signing o ms. The e a e
secu e coding pla o ms like Gi Hub ha main ain a his o y o indi-
iduals wo king on codes and downloading he codes ... Ve bal and
w i en consen is aken om employees o ensu e ha hey will no
sha e o ganiza ional da a and codes wi h any indi iduals and pa -
ies" (hk8)
"The esponsibili y o o ganiza ions, I hink, is o build us and find
he igh people, which implies e en be o e digi al ans o ma ion.
Maybe his need is now mo e anspa en and appa en . Find he
igh employee who has mo al alues and building us wi h hem is
he only solu ion" (hk7)
Among o he s a egies, he mos impo an is aining o incul-
ca e e hical alues in employees. In he same di ec ion, Zoppelle o e
al. (2023) ha e sugges ed e-skills aining a he pee - o-pee le el
be o e and a e he de elopmen o digi al p ojec s. One o ou
esponden s highligh ed his as:
"T aining is he bes and mos e ec i e way o ensu e e hical alues
in employees. Change he mind and c ea e awa eness among
employees abou he e hical conce ns o he o ganiza ions ...O gani-
za ions always y o ensu e wo k e hics; howe e , a e aking
se e al measu es, he e a e s ill chances o a da a b each, and o gani-
za ions ha e o ackle his conce n on an ongoing basis”(hk7)
Imp o ed human esou ce managemen p ac ices in e ms o
ech-led ec ui men , imp o emen in employee engagemen , loy-
al y, commi men , mu ual us , and app op ia e aining a e essen-
ial o add ess he secu i y and e hical conce ns o ech o ganiza ions.
Mo eo e , in e -disciplina i y, mul i-disciplina i y, and c oss-disci-
plina i y eams a e no op ions anymo e bu become necessa y and
ine i able o mi iga e he pandemic’s nega i e impac (Dube e al.,
2022). Based on hese a gumen s, he las p oposi ion o he s udy is:
P4: Imp o ed human esou ce p ac ices a e he way o wa d o
add ess secu i y and e hical conce ns and help con ol he b ain
d ain in bo h de eloped and de eloping coun ies.
Based on he discussion, i is concluded ha ech o ganiza ions
need o e amp hei s a egy, ocus mo e on echnop eneu ship,
and edesign human esou ce managemen p ac ices o add ess he
challenges o b ain d ain, secu i y, and e hical issues. Mo eo e ,
o ganiza ions mus ocus mo e on g abbing eme ging oppo uni ies,
i.e., a ificial in elligence, big da a, gene a i e AI, and blended wo k-
o ce/gig economy. The amewo k is illus a ed in Fig. 1.
Conclusion
De eloped coun ies a e well es ablished; howe e , de eloping
coun ies a e accus omed o digi al ans o ma ion. Mo eo e ,
COVID-19 became a "blessing in disguise" (Rehman e al., 2022) o
all indus ies, including he ech indus y in de eloping and de el-
oped coun ies. Due o global collabo a ion, bounda yless communi-
ca ion and collabo a ions, i ual wo k en i onmen , apid
de elopmen o echnological b eak h oughs, i.e., a ificial in elli-
gence, big da a, and gene a i e AI, and o he ac o s, he gap be ween
ech o ganiza ions in de eloped and de eloping coun ies has
Fig. 1. F amewo k o e ec i e digi aliza ion and digi al ans o ma ion.
M.S. Sumbal, A. Ta iq, Q. Ambe e al. Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 9 (2024) 100551
8
