Abstract Digitalization, a major transformation process, has affected universities worldwide. In this study, we investigate how Swiss universities address digitalization as a matter of strategic management and positioning and the constellations of actors, interests, and institutional arrangements that produce specific organizational responses. A qualitative case study design was employed to focus on the role of educational entrepreneurship within universities by examining four public research universities in Switzerland. Our research shows empirically how actor constellations, strategic action, and institutional resource allocation have led to the establishment of new research centers, faculty positions, and degree programs as part of these universities’ digital strategies. The analysis reveals that digital strategies open spaces of opportunities where strategically minded educational entrepreneurs can pursue their interests by building alliances across disciplines, university management, and professional groups. However, the outcome of their efforts varies significantly depending on the situational resources and institutional power relations that constrain the maneuvering space of those who can sense and seize the arising opportunities. Universities primarily use digital strategies to strengthen their identities and refine existing position-taking within nested organizational fields. The widespread diffusion of digital strategies among Swiss universities reflects the internalization of digital transformation in universities’ governance mechanisms and the role of educational entrepreneurs therein. These findings enhance the understanding of educational entrepreneurship, strategic alliances, and institutional resources in the construction of universities’ organizational actorhood.
Saner et al. (2026) studied this question.