Digital Business Strategy Implementation: Investigating the Use of Managerial Actions by the Leadership Team

Incumbent business models are being challenged by technological developments, resulting in tension in these organizations. Thus, Leadership Teams (LT) need to execute Managerial Actions (MAs) which assist in Digital Business Strategy Implementation (DBSI). To explore these MAs in the context of the DBSI, we conducted seven in-depth case studies of Dutch incumbent firms across a diverse range of industries that were undertaking a DBSI. Five propositions were tested to identify the challenges that the LT encounters when using MAs in a DBSI, and their differences compared to a standard strategy implementation. All five propositions are supported, allowing us to form specific and practical recommendations for enabling the DBSI in various business contexts.