The major challenges facing organisations to create technology-enabled value in the Fourth Industrial Revolution : a dynamic capabilities perspective in South Africa

Abstract

Organisations are finding it increasingly difficult to create value in the current dynamic, globalised, interconnected, and ever more complex business and technology environments. The Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIR) is set to increase these challenges as a result of the increasing complexity and dynamic changes in market, societal, and technological trends. While current technological trends potentially offer great value to organisations, emerging technological implementations and transformations often fail to realise the desired value-creation outcomes. Following an exploratory study with qualitative interviews, it was determined that most of these challenges to technology-enabled value-creation initiatives, in the current FIR related environment, can be linked to a dynamic capabilities perspective of strategic management. This perspective encompasses the enabling capabilities and strategic alignment between the external environment, an organisation’s strategies, its strategy execution, and its capability creation, adaptation, and management.

Organisasies vind dit toenemend moeiliker om waarde te skep binne die huidige dinamiese, geglobaliseerde, geintegreerde en meer komplekse besigheids en tegnologiese omgewings. Die Vierdie Industriële Revolusie (VIR) vermeerder hierdie uitdagings as gevolg van die toenemende komplekse en dinamiese veranderinge in mark, sosiale en tegnologiese tendense. Terwyl huidige tegnologiese tendense groot waarde potensiaal bied vir organisasies, faal ontluikende tegnologie implementerings en transformasies om die verlangde waardeskeppingsuitkomste te lewer. Gevolglik, na ’n verkennende studie met kwalitatiewe onderhoude, is gevind dat die meerderheid van hierdie uitdagings tot tegnologie-gedrewe waardeskepping inisiatiewe in die VIR omgewing gekoppel kan word aan ’n dinamiese vermoë perspektief tot strategiese bestuur. Hierdie perspektief sluit in die vaardighede en die strategiese belyning tussen the eksterne omgewing, ’n organisasie se strategië, sy strategie uitvoering, asook sy vaardigheidskepping, aanpassing en bestuur.