Digital Transformation Management and Organizational Performance: The Mediating Role of Organizational Agility and the Moderating Effect of Technological Readiness
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63544/ijss.v5i3.284Keywords:
Digital Transformation, Organizational Agility, Organizational Performance, Structural Equation Modelling, Technological Readiness, Transformation ManagementAbstract
This study examined the relationship between digital transformation management and organizational performance, while considering the mediating role of organizational agility and the moderating effect of technological readiness. A quantitative research design was applied, and data were collected from a sample of 320 employees working in technology-driven and service-based organizations. Structural equation modelling was used to test the proposed hypotheses and examine direct, mediating, and moderating relationships. The results revealed that digital transformation management significantly influenced organizational performance (β = 0.61, p < 0.001). Organizational agility also showed a significant positive effect on performance (β = 0.47, p < 0.001). Mediation analysis confirmed that organizational agility partially mediated the relationship between digital transformation and performance, with an indirect effect of β = 0.29 (p < 0.001). Furthermore, technological readiness significantly moderated the relationship between digital transformation and organizational agility (β = 0.21, p = 0.001), indicating a stronger effect at higher levels of readiness. The model explained a substantial proportion of variance in organizational performance (R² = 0.58), demonstrating strong explanatory power. The findings concluded that digital transformation alone was insufficient for achieving superior performance unless supported by organizational agility and technological readiness. Organizations that integrated digital capabilities with agile structures and advanced technological infrastructure achieved higher efficiency, adaptability, and overall performance. The study contributed to the growing literature on digital transformation by providing an integrated framework that combined mediation and moderation mechanisms within a single model.
References
AlNuaimi, B. K., Singh, S. K., Ren, S., Budhwar, P., & Vorobyev, D. (2022). Mastering digital transformation: The nexus between leadership, agility, and digital strategy. Journal of Business Research, 145, 636–648. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.03.038
Appio, F. P., Frattini, F., Petruzzelli, A. M., & Neirotti, P. (2021). Digital transformation and innovation management: A synthesis of existing research. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 168, Article 120755. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120755
Asif, M., & Bashir, M. (2026). Augmentation or Anxiety? The Mediating Role of Employee Trust in The Relationship Between Generative AI Implementation, Job Crafting, and Productivity. (2026). The Critical Review of Social Sciences Studies, 4(1), 4550-4583. https://doi.org/10.59075/mrqkn978
Asif, M., & Rafiq-uz-Zaman, M. (2026). The silent disengagement: A quantitative analysis of leadership, recognition, and workload as predictors of quiet quitting among knowledge workers. Al-Aasar, 3(1), 271–303. https://doi.org/10.63878/aaj1525
Aslam, H., Blome, C., Roscoe, S., & Azhar, T. M. (2020). Dynamic supply chain capabilities: How market sensing, supply chain agility, and adaptability affect performance. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 40(7–8), 957–980. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-09-2019-0647
Bai, C., Quayson, M., & Sarkis, J. (2021). COVID-19 pandemic digitization lessons for sustainable development of micro- and small enterprises. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 27, 1989–2001. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2021.04.035
Bharadwaj, A., El Sawy, O. A., Pavlou, P. A., & Venkatraman, N. (2013). Digital business strategy: Toward a next generation of insights. MIS Quarterly, 37(2), 471–482. https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2013/37.2.3
Bresciani, S., Ferraris, A., & Del Giudice, M. (2021). The management of organizational ambidexterity through alliances in a new context of analysis: Internet of Things. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 136, 331–338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2018.03.012
Cegarra-Navarro, J. G., Soto-Acosta, P., & Wensley, A. (2021). Structured knowledge processes and firm performance: The role of organizational agility. Journal of Business Research, 128, 221–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.02.021
Cenamor, J., Parida, V., & Wincent, J. (2019). How entrepreneurial SMEs compete through digital platforms: The roles of digital platform capability, network capability, and ambidexterity. Journal of Business Research, 100, 196–206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.03.035
Danielsen, F., & Sæbø, Ø. (2026). Organizational agility and digital transformation in public organizations: A systematic literature review. In Digital transformation in the public sector. World Scientific. https://doi.org/10.1142/9789819818884_0011
Dubey, R., Gunasekaran, A., Childe, S. J., Bryde, D. J., Giannakis, M., Foropon, C., Roubaud, D., & Hazen, B. T. (2020). Big data analytics and artificial intelligence pathway to operational performance under the effects of entrepreneurial orientation and environmental dynamism: A study of manufacturing organisations. International Journal of Production Economics, 226, 107599. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2019.107599
El Sawy, O. A., Kræmmergaard, P., Amsinck, H., & Vinther, A. L. (2020). How LEGO built the foundations and enterprise capabilities for digital leadership. MIS Quarterly Executive, 15(2), 141–166. https://doi.org/10.17705/2msqe.00007
Fitriani, A., Irwandi, I., & Marani, I. N. (2026). Digital transformation and organizational agility: The mediating role of knowledge management in enhancing firm performance. Asian Journal of Applied Business and Management, 5(1), 61–74. https://doi.org/10.55927/ajabm.v5i1.6
Gong, C., & Ribiere, V. (2021). Developing a unified definition of digital transformation. Technovation, 102, 102217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2020.102217
Hanum, R., Ibrahim, M., & Chan, S. (2026). Dynamic capabilities and digital transformation performance: The role of organizational agility in the public sector. International Journal of Latest Technology in Engineering Management & Applied Science. https://doi.org/10.51583/IJLTEMAS.2026.150400002
Iram, S., Rafiq-uz-Zaman, M., & Malik, N. (2025). Advancing strategic decision-making through artificial intelligence: A critical review of methods, applications, barriers, and emerging trends. Contemporary Journal of Social Science Review, 3(3), 3025–3044. https://doi.org/10.63878/cjssr.v3i3.2289
Kraus, S., Durst, S., Ferreira, J. J., Veiga, P., Kailer, N., & Weinmann, A. (2022). Digital transformation in business and management research: An overview of the current status quo. International Journal of Information Management, 63, 102466. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2021.102466
Li, L., Su, F., Zhang, W., & Mao, J. Y. (2018). Digital transformation by SME entrepreneurs: A capability perspective. Information Systems Journal, 28(6), 1129–1157. https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12153
Malik, N., & Rafiq-uz-Zaman, M. (2025). The role of artificial intelligence in educational leadership and management for service quality in Pakistani higher education: A narrative review. Journal of Applied Linguistics and TESOL, 8(2), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.63878/jalt2080
Matarazzo, M., Penco, L., Profumo, G., & Quaglia, R. (2021). Digital transformation and customer value creation in Made in Italy SMEs: A dynamic capabilities perspective. Journal of Business Research, 123, 642–656. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.10.033
Michelotto, F., & Joia, L. A. (2024). Organizational digital transformation readiness: An exploratory investigation. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 19(4), 3283–3304. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer19040159
Mikalef, P., Krogstie, J., Pappas, I. O., & Pavlou, P. (2020). Exploring the relationship between big data analytics capability and competitive performance: The mediating roles of dynamic and operational capabilities. Information & Management, 57(2), 103169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2019.05.004
Nadkarni, S., & Prügl, R. (2021). Digital transformation: A review, synthesis, and opportunities for future research. Management Review Quarterly, 71, 233–341. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-020-00185-7
Oliveira, T., & Martins, M. F. (2011). Literature review of information technology adoption models at firm level. The Electronic Journal Information Systems Evaluation, 14(1), 110–121. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1496217
Parasuraman, A. (2000). Technology readiness index (TRI): A multiple-item scale to measure readiness to embrace new technologies. Journal of Service Research, 2(4), 307–320. https://doi.org/10.1177/109467050024001
Priyono, A., Moin, A., & Putri, V. N. A. O. (2020). Identifying digital transformation paths in the business model of SMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 6(4), 104. https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc6040104
Queiroz, M. M., Ivanov, D., Dolgui, A., & Fosso Wamba, S. (2021). Impacts of epidemic outbreaks on supply chains: Mapping a research agenda amid the COVID-19 pandemic through a structured literature review. Annals of Operations Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-020-03685-7
Rafiq-uz-Zaman, M. (2025a). Between adoption and ambiguity: Navigating the AI policy vacuum in Pakistani higher education. Research Journal for Social Affairs, 3(6), 877–885. https://doi.org/10.71317/RJSA.003.06.0523
Rafiq-uz-Zaman, M. (2025b). Use of artificial intelligence in school management: A contemporary need of school education system in Punjab (Pakistan). Journal of Asian Development Studies, 14(2), 1984–2009. https://doi.org/10.62345/jads.2025.14.2.56
Rafiq-uz-Zaman, M., & Jabeen, S. (2024). Decision-making in uncertain environments. Asian Journal of Research in Economics and Finance, 1(2), 52–64. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19829894
Rahmadani, E. P., Maelani, S., Putri, M. C., & Pratiwi, A. (2025). Digital readiness and innovation behavior: The role of technology adoption and organizational agility. Growth: Journal of Management and Business, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.59422/growth.v3i02.996
Ravichandran, T. (2018). Exploring the relationships between IT competence, innovation capacity, and organizational agility. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 27(1), 22–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsis.2017.07.002
Roberts, N., & Grover, V. (2012). Leveraging information technology infrastructure to facilitate a firm’s customer agility and competitive activity: An empirical investigation. Journal of Management Information Systems, 28(4), 231–270. https://doi.org/10.2753/MIS0742-1222280409
Shamim, S., Zeng, J., Shariq, S. M., & Khan, Z. (2021). Role of big data management in enhancing big data decision-making capability and firm performance. Information Processing & Management, 56(6), 103135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ipm.2021.103135
Shams, S. M. R., Vrontis, D., Belyaeva, Z., Ferraris, A., & Czinkota, M. (2021). Strategic agility in international business: A conceptual framework for “agile” multinationals. Journal of International Management, 27(1), 100737. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intman.2020.100737
Sousa-Zomer, T. T., Neely, A., & Martinez, V. (2020). Digital transforming capability and performance: A microfoundational perspective. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 40(7–8), 1095–1128. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-06-2019-0444
Tallon, P. P., Queiroz, M., Coltman, T., & Sharma, R. (2019). Information technology and the search for organizational agility: A systematic review with future research possibilities. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 28(2), 218–237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsis.2018.12.002
Troise, C., Corvello, V., Ghobadian, A., & O’Regan, N. (2022). How can SMEs successfully navigate VUCA environment: The role of agility and digital transformation. Journal of Business Research, 142, 104–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.12.051
Van de Wetering, R. (2021). IT-enabled organizational agility: The role of IT ambidexterity and business-IT alignment. European Journal of Information Systems, 30(4), 413–432. https://doi.org/10.1080/0960085X.2020.1829516
Vaska, S., Massaro, M., Bagarotto, E. M., & Dal Mas, F. (2021). The digital transformation of business model innovation: A structured literature review. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 539363. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.539363
Verhoef, P. C., Broekhuizen, T., Bart, Y., Bhattacharya, A., Dong, J. Q., Fabian, N., & Haenlein, M. (2021). Digital transformation: A multidisciplinary reflection and research agenda. Journal of Business Research, 122, 889–901. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.09.022
Vial, G. (2019). Understanding digital transformation: A review and a research agenda. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 28(2), 118–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsis.2019.01.003
Warner, K. S. R., & Wäger, M. (2019). Building dynamic capabilities for digital transformation: An ongoing process of strategic renewal. Long Range Planning, 52(3), 326–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2018.12.001
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Fauzia Ahmed, Muhammad Younus Malik, Syed Kausar Ali Shah

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The work is concurrently licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, which permits others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the authorship and the work's original publication in this journal, while the authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication.