This study integrates the attention-based view (ABV), resource orchestration theory (ROT), and the stimulus–organism–response (S-O-R) framework to investigate how government digital initiatives influence enterprise digital transformation (EDT) through top management teams’ (TMTs) attention allocation and resource orchestration capability. Using panel data from 182 listed pharmaceutical companies in China’s Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share markets between 2012 and 2021, this research empirically tests the proposed theoretical model. Results show that government digital initiatives have a significant positive impact on EDT, with TMTs’ attention allocation and resource orchestration capability playing partial mediating roles. Notably, our findings resonate with digital transformation dynamics in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), where governments similarly play a pivotal role in driving digital adoption, albeit within distinct institutional contexts. China’s centralized approach emphasizes top-down infrastructure development and strategic alignment, whereas CEE economies rely on European Union (EU)-driven frameworks and often face challenges in translating government support into widespread digital adoption. Despite these differences, the core mechanisms—government stimuli shaping managerial attention and resource allocation—are generalizable to emerging and transitional economies, including those in CEE. Overall, this study highlights that effective digital transformation requires both policy clarity to guide TMTs’ attention and targeted support for resource orchestration, offering insights for CEE contexts navigating EU digital mandates alongside local institutional constraints.
Lee et al. (2026) studied this question.