Understanding Inertia in Digital Transformation: A Literature Review and Multilevel Research Framework

The rise of new digital technologies requires organizations to adjust their current strategy, processes and product portfolio, a phenomenon known as digital transformation. Organizations undergoing digital transformation face substantial barriers and a range of inertial forces. While inertia has been studied to a great extent under the lens of organizational transformation, digital transformation provides a different and distinct context. Despite recent studies recognizing inertia as a key challenge for digital transformation, inertia remains poorly understood, making it harder to develop ways of successfully dealing with it. To address this gap, we conduct a literature review on inertia in relation to digital transformation. Our proposed framework incorporates the antecedents, key attributes, dimensions, moderators, and consequences of inertia. We conclude with a research agenda offering four avenues for advancing our understanding of inertia in the context of digital transformation to make digital transformation a more effective and successful endeavor