基于战略创业的数字化转型过程研究——以卧龙集团为例

Digital Transformation Process based on Strategic Entrepreneurship:A Case Study of Wolong Group

面对数字时代的诸多挑战,如何加速推进企业数字化转型成为学界和业界广泛关注的议题。我国产业实践中涌现出制造企业通过孵化外部平台来“反哺”自身数字化转型的现实解决方案。考虑到这一解决方案各阶段均以同步的探索和开发为基础,因而将其命名为“基于战略创业的数字化转型模式”。基于对典型企业——卧龙集团的纵向单案例研究,本文发现:(1)制造企业通过孵化外部平台加速数字化转型经历了“机会捕获—能力培育—平台反哺”三个阶段。其中,“机会捕获”是在位企业抓住数字创业新机会搭建外部数字平台,“能力培育”是整合在位企业既有的和外部的数字资源快速提升平台数字能力,“平台反哺”是平台打造生态系统持续创新以及发挥数字能力优势反向助推在位企业的数字化转型。(2)在上述三个阶段,在位企业需要处理三组不同的探索与开发问题,并分别采用组织隔离、同步嵌入和情境化双元三种策略加以应对。其中,在机会捕获阶段通过组织隔离来减少既有业务对于新建平台的干扰;在能力培育阶段通过同步嵌入探索与开发来快速提升数字能力;在平台反哺阶段通过情境化双元使得平台持续发展并助推在位企业数字化转型。(3)通过搭建外部数字平台反哺在位企业数字化转型包括直接和间接两种路径。直接路径是平台为在位企业数字化转型赋能,而间接路径是平台通过为供应链企业赋能倒逼在位企业数字化转型。(4)较之传统的数字化转型模式,基于战略创业的数字化转型模式在发展的可持续性、自主性以及快速整合数字资源等方面具有优势。

With the advent of the digital age,how to accelerate the digital transformation has become a widely concerned issue in academia and industry.Practical solutions for manufacturing firms to “feedback” their own digital transformation by incubating external digital platforms have emerged in China's industrial practice.Considering that all stages of this solution are based on simultaneous exploration and exploitation,it is therefore labeled as a “digital transformation model based on strategic entrepreneurship”.Based on the longitudinal case study of the Wolong Group,this paper finds that:(1) Manufacturing firms accelerate their digital transformation through incubating external digital platforms through three stages,namely,opportunity capture,capability development and platform feedback.Among them,“opportunity capture” means that incumbent firms seize the new opportunities of digital entrepreneurship to build external digital platforms,“capacity development” is to integrate existing and external digital resources of incumbent firms to rapidly improve the digital capabilities of the platform,and “platform feedback” means that the platform creates continuous innovation of the ecosystem and gives full play to the advantages of digital capabilities to reversely boost the digital transformation of incumbent firms.(2) In the above three stages,incumbent firms need to deal with three different sets of tensions between exploration and exploitation,and respectively adopt three strategies:organizational separation,synchronous embeddedness,as well as contextual ambidexterity.In the opportunity capture stage,organization separation is used to reduce the interference of existing businesses to the newly built platform.In the capability development stage,simultaneous embedment of exploration and exploitation is used to enhance digital capabilities rapidly.In the stage of platform feedback,contextual ambidexterity makes the platform develop continuously and promote the digital transformation of incumbent firms.(3) There are two paths to enhance the digital transformation of incumbent firms by building an external digital platform,namely,direct path and indirect path.The direct path is that the platform enables the digital transformation of incumbent firms,while the indirect path is that the platform drives the digital transformation of incumbent firms by accelerating digital transformation of supply chain firms.(4) Compared with the traditional digital transformation model,the digital transformation model based on strategic entrepreneurship has advantages in terms of sustainability,autonomy and rapid integration of digital resources.This paper makes contributions to the research on digital transformation and strategic entrepreneurship.First,it adds to the literature on digital transformation.This paper highlights an important path of digital transformation for incumbent firms,summarized as “opportunity capture-capability development-platform feedback”.In each of the three stages,incumbent firms adopt three strategies respectively to reconcile the tension between exploration and exploitation.This paper further unveils the two paths of how external digital platforms feedback the digital transformation of incumbent firms and summarizes the advantages of digital transformation model based on strategic entrepreneurship.The second is to contribute to the strategic entrepreneurship literature.This paper explores the process of digital transformation based on the strategic entrepreneurship perspective,and extends the strategic entrepreneurship perspective to the digital transformation field.In addition,this paper reveals specific strategies for coordinating the tension between exploration and exploitation in digital transformation process based on strategic entrepreneurship.In particular,it is found that the relationship between exploration and exploitation is complementary rather than competitive in the “capacity development” phase,which further sheds new light on the relationship between them.In terms of practical implications,the findings of this paper offer a unique solution for manufacturing firms to accelerate their digital transformation.