Capabilities for Digital Process Innovation: Results of an Ongoing Action Research Study

Organizations around the globe are faced with digital transformation. However, many of these organizations, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises, lack the corresponding individual skills as well as the organizational capabilities to implement digital process innovations and change the corresponding organizational routines. This research-in-progress paper reports on preliminary results of an action research study. We conceptualize organizational digital process innovation capabilities as dynamic capabilities and create a theoretical understanding of these capabilities with their corresponding microfoundations, i.e., the individual employee’s skills. Based on an in-depth action research study we will be able to show in how far outside consulting support will change individuals’ skills as well as organizational capabilities. We thus contribute to both theory on organizational capability-building for digital process innovation as well as dynamic capability theory.