What is it about?
Digital transformation is not simply about introducing new tools. It also depends on how well an organization can adapt, learn and turn ideas into action. We examined six factors that may shape transformation success: how fully agile ways of working are embedded, employee training in agile methods, innovation, technology, digital knowledge and organizational culture. We surveyed 124 employees working in digitally transformed companies in Greece. Agile maturity, agile training, innovation and technology were directly associated with higher reported transformation success. Knowledge and culture mattered in a different way: they were associated with success through technology. In other words, technology acted as a bridge, helping organizations translate what people know and how they work into practical transformation outcomes.
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Why is it important?
Organizations often invest heavily in digital tools yet struggle to achieve meaningful change. Our findings show why a broader approach is needed. Successful transformation was associated not only with technology, but also with mature agile ways of working, employee training and innovation. The results also help explain why strong knowledge and a supportive culture may not produce visible results on their own: organizations need technology that enables these internal strengths to be put into practice. Together, the factors in our model explained 74.2% of the differences in reported transformation success. For managers, the practical message is that digital transformation should be managed as an integrated organizational change, rather than as a stand-alone technology project.
Perspectives
We began this research because digital transformation is often framed as a technology challenge, while agile is still treated mainly as a software-development method. We wanted to look beyond specific agile frameworks and examine the broader capabilities that help organizations adapt, learn and implement change. The most revealing result for us was that knowledge and culture were not directly associated with transformation success; instead, they were linked to success through technology. This suggests that knowledgeable employees or a transformation-friendly culture are not enough unless organizations can convert these strengths into practical digital applications. We hope this study encourages managers to see agility, learning, innovation and technology as connected parts of the same transformation effort.
Dr. Xenia J. Mamakou
Athens University of Economics and Business
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Unlocking Digital Transformation Success: How Agile Capabilities Make the Difference, Procedia Computer Science, January 2026, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.procs.2026.02.440.
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