Digital innovation in management and business: A comprehensive review, multi-level framework, and future research agenda

SEB research

Authors:

Dejan Uršič, University of Ljubljana, School of Economics and Business
Tomaž Čater, University of Ljubljana, School of Economics and Business

Keywords:

Abstract:

The paper investigates the landscape of digital innovation publications in management and business journals. By integrating bibliometric, topic modeling, and qualitative analyses, we introduce a novel approach to synthesize the foundational, current, and future topics. Analyzing 684 documents, we first identify three foundational topics: digital transformation, digital platform ecosystems, and digital innovation foundations. Second, we reveal ten current topics: digital business model innovation, digital process innovation, digital strategy, digital product innovation, digital capabilities, open innovation, digital platform ecosystems, digital transformation, digital service innovation, and digital innovation adoption. Third, we analyze the theoretical perspectives and foundations that underpin these topics through qualitative interpretation. The paper contributes to digital innovation literature by providing an overarching multi-level framework that links contextual conditions, mechanisms, and outcomes across individual, organizational, and industry levels. Furthermore, it identifies key underlying theories that shape the field and proposes a future research agenda for multidisciplinary theoretical bridging.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) addressed in the article are:

SDG 8 – Decent work and economic growth
SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation, Technology and Infrastructure
SDG 12 – Responsible consumption and production
SDG 13 – Climate action

The article is published in:

Journal of business research (ScienceDirect)

The content is freely accessible at:

Digital innovation in management and business: a comprehensive review, multi-level framework, and future research agenda