A Holistic Perspective on Digitalization Success in SME Family Businesses: Evidence From the Manufacturing Sector

Digitalization can create competitive advantages for SME family businesses. Although most of them are aware of the opportunities that digitalization offers and an increasing number tries to make use of them, not all succeed. The cause may lie in the complexity of digitalization, which it owes to its meshing with multiple organizational levels, thus requiring a holistic approach. Using a sample of 255 SME family businesses from the manufacturing sector, this study draws a holistic picture of what drives digitalization success. The basic attitude towards digitalization, i.e. their digitalization orientation, turns out to be a main success factor that shapes the framework conditions for digital transformation. Furthermore, the number of digitalization measures, a digitalization strategy and available financial resources affect digitalization success positively. The results enable practitioners to holistically assess their own digitalization path and critically reflect on specific measures for further development in terms of a promising digital transformation.