Digital Transformation through Platformisation
- Publication Type:
- Thesis
- Issue Date:
- 2023
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The rise of digitalisation continues to impact organisations and the society at a staggering rate. Digital technologies are spawning intricate networks of socio-technical systems characterised by fluid boundaries and growth on an exponential scale. As the very nature of competition transforms, and consumer behaviour evolves, digital innovation continues to thrive and transform organisations and entire industries. The recent years bear witness to an emerging phenomenon of digital transformation (DT), as more organisations are impelled to adapt to this increasing digitalisation. This calls for new theories and empirical studies on DT, reflected in the increased interest in the topic in the literature. Digital technologies play a key role in DT. As such, there is a growing recognition that digital platforms, as a new, generative type of system have implications for DT. Converging these two streams of literature to generate new insights, this study proposes platformisation as a salient view to consider regarding DT. The over-emphasis on platform ecosystems in the extant digital platform literature has resulted in an under-representation of internal digital platforms within the boundaries of a single organisation. These organisations with their complex technical infrastructures and portfolios cannot apply the logic of platform ecosystems in implementing digital platforms. Yet, they can still leverage the platform concept to make improvements to their organisations. However, our understanding of the process of platformisation, as a systematic, organisation-wide transformation of an organisation’s systems into platform architectures, beyond the initial adoption of digital platforms remains limited. This research explores DT through platformisation within an Australian university, through three cases of digital platforms. Each digital platform contributes to the university’s overall DT through platformisation efforts. Adopting the theoretical lens of coevolution, DT through platformisation is conceptualised as an interplay between the strategic and the digital platform levels in the organisation, recognising strategy as a dynamic process of strategising. This study explores the mechanisms of DT through platformisation, as well as the organisational outcomes of this process. The theoretical contributions include a theoretical model and a theoretical framework of mechanisms of DT through platformisation, the articulation of three types of internal digital platforms, as well as a set of theoretical propositions. Contribution to practice includes the rich empirical insights from three case studies, which can help guide DT through platformisation efforts, and inform leaders in formulating strategies and operating models with digital platforms. The mechanisms presented here can be refined and applied in other organisational contexts.
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