Supporting Digital Transformation in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises: A Procedure Model Involving Publicly Funded Support Units

Digital Transformation (DT) considers the continuous digitalization process of a company, which uses digital and data-driven innovation to improve existing processes, change distinct business model (BM) elements, or reinvent its BM entirely. Large companies position themselves at the frontline of the DT, while small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are challenged by resource constraints and missing guidance on realizing benefits of DT. This situation threatens SMEs as big players increasingly utilize DT to enter markets that have been traditionally reserved to SMEs. Extant research on the ways SMEs can effectively participate in DT is limited. Against this background, this article builds upon prior research and a focus group discussion to propose a procedure model, which enables DT in SME by involving publicly funded support units. These units help SMEs in understanding and structuring the potentials of digital and data-driven innovation