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This study investigates the impact of digital capabilities (DC) on building resilient supply chains in China’s electric vehicle (EV) industry. As the complexity of the EV sector continues to grow, improving supply chain resilience (SCR) is essential for sustaining long-term growth and maintaining competitiveness. This research focuses on how visibility and collaboration, supported by DC, contribute to the development of SCR. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), data from 399 Chinese EV supply chain enterprises were analyzed to examine the moderating effects of DC and their sub-dimensions—digital infrastructure capability, digital analytics capability, and strategic support capability—on the relationships between visibility, collaboration, and resilience. The results reveal that both visibility and collaboration significantly and positively influence resilience, with visibility having the strongest impact. Furthermore, digital analytics capability enhances the positive effect of collaboration on resilience, while overall DC and other dimensions, such as digital infrastructure and strategic support capabilities, show limited impact. The findings also underscore that digital infrastructure capability plays a vital role in amplifying the impact of visibility on resilience. Consequently, EV supply chain enterprises are encouraged to invest continuously in digital infrastructure and analytics capabilities to strengthen their SCR.

Purpose Based on the perspective of knowledge management capability, this paper aims to reveal the internal mechanism of the digital empowerment of mobile social platforms to improve the operational performance of Chinese traditional retail enterprises. Such improvements have crucial theoretical value and practical implications for Chinese traditional retail enterprises to achieve transformation and sustainable development. Design/methodology/approach This study applied the typical analysis method, selected China’s leading mobile social platform, WeChat, as a typical case, and observed and analyzed the public data of the traditional retail industry and social platforms and interviews with relevant enterprises. On this basis, this study used the inductive and deductive methods of qualitative research to conduct an in-depth analysis of the mechanism by which WeChat’s digital empowerment improves the operational performance of Chinese traditional retail enterprises. It also discussed the critical role and path knowledge management capabilities play in this mechanism. Findings This research demonstrated that mobile social platforms empower Chinese traditional retail enterprises to build diversified digital channels, enhance the knowledge acquisition capability of enterprises and thus improve their performance; empower Chinese traditional retail enterprises to build digital community networks, enhance the knowledge diffusion capability of enterprises and thus improve their performance; and empower Chinese traditional retail enterprises to integrate online and offline businesses, enhance the knowledge integration capability of enterprises and thus improve their performance. Research limitations/implications This study clarifies the internal mechanism of how the digital empowerment of mobile social platforms can improve the performance of Chinese traditional retail enterprises. This mechanism implies that knowledge management capabilities (knowledge acquisition, diffusion and integration capability) are the underlying logic for Chinese traditional retail enterprises to achieve higher performance levels. This has important practical implications for managers of Chinese traditional retail enterprises to leverage the digital infrastructure of mobile social platforms to achieve the sustainable development of enterprises. Originality/value This study provides an in-depth analysis of how the traditional retail industry uses digital social platforms to improve operational performance from the perspective of knowledge management capabilities, which can further promote the theoretical research and practical development of digitalization and knowledge management. At the same time, this study explored the research on the operational performance of Chinese traditional retail enterprises from the perspective of knowledge management capabilities and expanded the research on knowledge management in related fields. The authors have initially sorted out the impact of knowledge management capabilities on the operational performance of Chinese traditional retail enterprises in the digital era. This will help better understand the role and function of knowledge management in strategic transformation and expand the application of knowledge management theory.

PurposeDigital innovation requires organizations to reconfigure their information technology infrastructure (ITI) to cultivate creativity and implement fast experimentation. This research inquiries into ITI generativity, an emerging concept demoting a critical ITI capability for organizational digital innovation. More specifically, it conceptualizes ITI generativity across two dimensions—namely, systems and applications infrastructure (SAI) generativity and data analytics infrastructure (DAI) generativity—and examines their respective social and technical antecedents and their impact on digital innovation.Design/methodology/approachThis research formulates a theoretical model to investigate the social and technical antecedents along with innovation outcomes of ITI generativity. To test this model and its associated hypotheses, a survey was administered to IT professionals possessing knowledge of their organization's IT architecture and digital innovation performance. The dataset, comprising responses from 140 organizations, was analyzed using the partial least squares technique.FindingsResults reveal that both dimensions of ITI generativity contribute to digital innovation performance, with the effect of DAI generativity being more pronounced. In addition, SAI and DAI generativities are driven by social and technical factors within an organization. More specifically, SAI generativity is positively associated with the usage of a digital application services platform and IT human resources, whereas DAI generativity is positively linked to the usage of a data analytics services platform, data analytics services usability and data analytics human resources.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the literature on digital innovation by introducing ITI generativity as a crucial ITI capability and deciphering its role in digital innovation. It also offers useful insights and guidance for practitioners on how to build ITIs to achieve better digital innovation performance.

PurposeDigital product and service innovations (DPSI) has attracted widespread attention from both management scholars and practitioners. Previous studies have documented that information technology (IT) capability and digital orientation positively influence DPSI performance. However, the question of whether and how digitalization capability can facilitate DPSI performance remains unresolved. This paper fills these gaps by investigating the mediating role of improvisation capability and the moderating role of technological turbulence.Design/methodology/approachThis study used two-wave data from 240 matched digital transformation department leaders and senior managers from Chinese firms and examined the hypotheses deploying hierarchical regression and bootstrapping.FindingsOur analyses reveal positive, significant links between digitalization capability and improvisation capability and between improvisation capability and DPSI performance. The findings further show that the effect of digitalization capability on DPSI performance is partially mediated by improvisation capability and that technological turbulence strengthens the indirect relationship between digitalization capability and DPSI performance through improvisation capability.Originality/valueIntegrating resource-based view, this research provides evidence that the extent to which improvisation capability mediates the relationship between digitalization capability and DPSI performance depends on technological turbulence. It provides a new direction for digitalization capability and DPSI performance.

Purpose>The purpose of this paper is to identify sensing, seizing and reconfiguring routines of dynamic capabilities that enable digital transformation in firms.Design/methodology/approach>A qualitative approach is used. Representatives from a firm going through digital transformations are interviewed, and focus groups have been carried out with a consultancy firm experienced in giving advice to firms going through digital transformation.Findings>Six routines identified as relevant specifically for digital transformation are identified. These are cross-industrial digital sensing, inside-out digital infrastructure sensing, digital strategy development, determination of enterprise boundaries, decomposition of digital transformation into specified projects and creation of a unified digital infrastructure.Practical implications>The authors provide direction for managers on how to approach digital transformation. In relation to previous research, the authors provide more specific guidance regarding how to reconfigure the organization in digital transformation.Originality/value>The paper uses a novel context for digital transformation and complements the very few studies available using dynamic capabilities to understand digital transformation.

The digital trade ecosystem’s development relies on the growth of cross-border e-commerce platforms. To ensure the continued growth of China’s digital trade, it is crucial to consider the service capabilities of digital platforms and the digital transformation capabilities of cross-border e-commerce firms. This study explores the impact of these factors on the performance of cross-border e-commerce companies, with digital transformation capability acting as a mediator. Empirical research reveals that the service capability of digital platforms is composed of supply chain communication and cost control abilities, which partially mediate the relationship between digital platform serviceability and cross-border e-commerce enterprise performance. Moreover, both the service capabilities of digital platforms and the digital transformation capabilities of cross-border e-commerce companies have a positive and significant impact on enterprise performance.

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face complex systemic challenges in managing digital transformation while pursuing innovation in an increasingly interconnected business environment. This study adopts a systems theory perspective to investigate how digitalization enhances Innovation Performance by examining the dynamic interrelationships among digital adoption, digital drive, digital culture, and Innovation Performance. Through an empirical analysis of 201 Chinese SMEs using PLS-SEM, IPMA, and ANFIS approaches, we reveal that digital drive fully mediates the relationship between digital adoption and Innovation Performance, highlighting the systemic nature of digital transformation processes. Digital culture emerges as a critical moderator, positively influencing the relationships between digital adoption and digital drive, as well as between digital drive and Innovation Performance. These findings demonstrate how different elements of digital transformation form an integrated system where components interact to produce innovation outcomes. This study contributes to systems theory by illuminating the complex interdependencies in digital transformation and offers practical implications for managing systemic change in SMEs.

Over the past 40 years of reform and opening-up, China has achieved remarkable progress in rural infrastructure development. Although some empirical studies have demonstrated a positive relationship between the provision of digital infrastructure and increases in agricultural output and farmer income in various developing countries, research exploring the impact of digital infrastructure on rural households’ welfare is rare. This gap represents a significant issue for policymakers and academic researchers in developing countries today. By matching micro-survey data with county-level digital infrastructure investment data, this paper empirically examines the effects and mechanisms of digital infrastructure on the welfare of rural households using ordered probit and mediation models. We found that digital infrastructure has a significant impact on rural households’ overall welfare levels. Mechanism testing revealed that digital infrastructure operates through at least three distinct pathways, positively affecting both the economic and non-economic welfare of rural households. Additionally, the level of human capital and regional economic development exhibit notable heterogeneous effects on the impact of digital infrastructure. The validity of the results was demonstrated through instrumental variable regression and a series of robustness tests. The reason behind this result lies in the fact that the improvement of digital infrastructure in rural areas enhances households’ ability to access resources, develop skills, and engage in decision-making processes. This objectively improves their living standards and meets their needs. The empirical findings of this study have important policy implications for strengthening rural digital infrastructure, further enhancing rural households’ digital skills, and ultimately improving their overall welfare.

PurposeRecent research has highlighted the beneficial role of supply chain resilience for ensuring efficient production and business processes. The purpose of this study is to explore enablers of supply chain resilience. In particular, the authors examine whether and how dynamic capabilities and knowledge management can help firms develop a resilient supply chain in times of high disruption and uncertainty.Design/methodology/approachA single longitudinal case study design was adopted. Data was collected over 8 years from a Pakistani textile producer and supplier through semi-structured interviews and was analyzed through NVivo to generate codes and themes that contributed to the development of the supply chain resilience model.FindingsThe analysis of case study shows that our focal firm strategically acquired, transferred and integrated market knowledge by investing in digital technologies and idiosyncratic resources and consequently developed a supply chain model that was resilient in addressing logistics and delivery challenges in uncertain & critical times.Research limitations/implicationsThe study brings together three main research streams of organizational theory, namely supply chain, knowledge management and dynamic capabilities, and proposes a nuanced resilient supply chain model.Practical implicationsBy applying the research findings, managers can adjust, develop and adopt supply chain resilience to address market volatilities, thereby creating value and longevity in their supply chain operations. However, the findings are context specific and should be applied cautiously.Originality/valueThe outcomes provide early hints on how companies in emerging economies can adopt and integrate novel digital technologies, and overhaul their organizational routines to facilitate knowledge management and develop dynamic capabilities, and consequently enhance the resilience of their supply chain operations.

In the digital economy, digital transformation has become a crucial driver of innovative capability in smart manufacturing businesses. This study examines the influence of digital transformation on innovation capabilities and its underlying processes within publicly traded smart manufacturing companies in China. Utilizing data from Chinese listed companies spanning 1999–2023, we construct a digital transformation index via text mining. Employing fixed-effects regression models to control for industry, year, and regional heterogeneity, and supplemented by multiple robustness strategies—including substituting the dependent variable with citation count for patent applications, lagged regression, omitted variable control, and placebo tests—we analyze the data. The findings demonstrate that digital transformation significantly enhances the innovative capacity of smart manufacturing enterprises, a result robust to rigorous testing. Additionally, mediation effect analyses indicate that digital transformation indirectly fosters innovation by alleviating financing constraints. Furthermore, heterogeneity analysis reveals that this innovation effect is more pronounced in Eastern regions, non-state-owned enterprises, and technology-intensive sectors, underscoring the moderating role of regional resources, ownership structure, and technological infrastructure. This study provides micro-level empirical evidence on the role of digital transformation in advancing manufacturing innovation and offers strategic insights for policymakers regarding digital infrastructure deployment and tailored guidance for enterprise transformation.