The importance of leadership is increasingly recognized in relation to digital transformation. Therefore, middle management and top management must have the competencies required to lead such a transformation. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the digital leader competencies as set out by the European e-competence framework (e-CF) and the digital transformation of organizations. Also, the relationship between digital leadership competency (DLC) and IT capability is examined. An empirical investigation is presented based on a sample of 433 respondents, analyzed using PLS-SEM. The results strongly support our hypotheses. DLC has a strong impact on organizational digital transformation. A post-hoc analysis showed this is predominantly the case for the e-CF competencies of business plan development, architecture design, and innovating while business change management and governance do not seem to affect organizational digital transformation. This is the first empirical study to conceptualize, operationalize and validate the concept of DLC, based on the e-competence framework, and its impact on digital transformation. These findings have significant implications for researchers and practitioners working on the transformation toward a digital organization.
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Higher educational institutions incorporate projects into their curricula, in which students, together with educators, researchers and professionals from practice, try to find solutions for real, societal problems, to develop relevant skills. Because such solutions are increasingly digital with high impact on society, ethical responsibility is an important part of these skills. In this study, we analyze two cases of digital innovation projects in higher education in which the concept of the Ethical Matrix is adapted and integrated in a Value Sensitive Design approach and applied by educators (case 1) and by students (case 2). We find that an adapted version of the Ethical Matrix supports educators and students in taking values of different types of stakeholders into account which leads to different design choices.
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Background Literature on self-management innovations has studied their characteristics and position in healthcare systems. However, less attention has been paid to factors that contribute to successful implementation. This paper aims to answer the question: which factors play a role in a successful implementation of self-management health innovations? Methods We conducted a narrative review of academic literature to explore factors related to successful implementation of self-management health innovations. We further investigated the factors in a qualitative multiple case study to analyse their role in implementation success. Data were collected from nine self-management health projects in the Netherlands. Results Nine factors were found in the literature that foster the implementation of self-management health innovations: 1) involvement of end-users, 2) involvement of local and business partners, 3) involvement of stakeholders within the larger system, 4) tailoring of the innovation, 5) utilisation of multiple disciplines, 6) feedback on effectiveness, 7) availability of a feasible business model, 8) adaption to organisational changes, and 9) anticipation of changes required in the healthcare system. In the case studies, on average six of these factors could be identified. Three projects achieved a successful implementation of a self-management health innovation, but only in one case were all factors present. Conclusions For successful implementation of self-management health innovation projects, the factors identified in the literature are neither necessary nor sufficient. Therefore, it might be insightful to study how successful implementation works instead of solely focusing on the factors that could be helpful in this process.
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Digital innovations in the field of immersive Augmented Reality (AR) can be a solution to offer adults who are mentally, physically or financially unable to attend sporting events such as premier league football a stadium and match experience. This allows them to continue to connect with their social networks. In the intended project, AR content will be further developed with the aim of evoking the stadium experience of home matches as much as possible. The extent to which AR enriches the experience is then tested in an experiment, in which the experience of a football match with and without AR enrichment is measured in a stadium setting and in a home setting. The experience is measured with physiological signals. In addition, a subjective experience measure is also being developed and benchmarked (the experience impact score). Societal issueInclusion and health: The joint experience of (top) sports competitions forms a platform for vulnerable adults, with a limited social capital, to build up and maintain the social networks that are so necessary for them. AR to fight against social isolation and loneliness.
Cross-Re-Tour supports European tourism SME while implementing digital and circular economy innovations. The three year project promotes uptake and replication by tourism SMEs of tools and solutions developed in other sectors, to mainstream green and circular tourism business operations.At the start of the project existing knowledge-gaps of tourism SMEs will be researched through online dialogues. This will be followed by a market scan, an overview of existing state of the art solutions to digital and green constraints in other economic sectors, which may be applied to tourism SME business operations: water, energy, food, plastic, transport and furniture /equipment. The scan identifies best practices from other sectors related to nudging of clients towards sustainable behaviour and nudging of staff on how to best engage with new tourism market segments.The next stage of the project relates to two design processes: an online diagnostic tool that allows for measuring and assessing (160) SME’s potential to adapt existing solutions in digital and green challenges, developed in other economic sectors. Next to this, a knowledge hub, addresses knowledge constraints and proposes solutions, business advisory services, training activities to SMEs participating. The hub acts as a matchmaker, bringing together 160 tourism SMEs searching for solutions, with suppliers of existing solutions developed in other sectors. The next key activity is a cross-domain open innovation programme, that will provide 80 tourism SMEs with financial support (up to EUR 30K). Examples of partnerships could be: a hotel and a supplier of refurbished matrasses for hospitals; a restaurant and a supplier of food rejected by supermarkets, a dance event organiser and a supplier of refurbished water bottles operating in the cruise industry, etc.The 80 cross-domain partnerships will be supported through the knowledge hub and their business innovation advisors. The goal is to develop a variety of innovative partnerships to assure that examples in all operational levels of tourism SMEs.The innovation projects shall be presented during a show-and-share event, combined with an investors’ pitch. The diagnostic tool, market scan, knowledge hub, as well as the show and share offer excellent opportunities to communicate results and possible impact of open innovation processes to a wider international audience of destination stakeholders and non-tourism partners. Societal issueSupporting the implementation of digital and circular economy solutions in tourism SMEs is key for its transition towards sustainable low-impact industry and society. Benefit for societySolutions are already developed in other sectors but the cross-over towards tourism is not happening. The project bridges this gap.
The objective of DIGIREAL-XL is to build a Research, Development & Innovation (RD&I) Center (SPRONG GROUP, level 4) on Digital Realities (DR) for Societal-Economic Impact. DR are intelligent, interactive, and immersive digital environments that seamlessly integrate Data, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Modelling-Simulation, and Visualization by using Game and Media Technologies (Game platforms/VR/AR/MR). Examples of these DR disruptive innovations can be seen in many domains, such as in the entertainment and service industries (Digital Humans); in the entertainment, leisure, learning, and culture domain (Virtual Museums and Music festivals) and within the decision making and spatial planning domain (Digital Twins). There are many well-recognized innovations in each of the enabling technologies (Data, AI,V/AR). However, DIGIREAL-XL goes beyond these disconnected state-of-the-art developments and technologies in its focus on DR as an integrated socio-technical concept. This requires pre-commercial, interdisciplinary RD&I, in cross-sectoral and inter-organizational networks. There is a need for integrating theories, methodologies, smart tools, and cross-disciplinary field labs for the effective and efficient design and production of DR. In doing so, DIGIREAL-XL addresses the challenges formulated under the KIA-Enabling Technologies / Key Methodologies for sectoral and societal transformation. BUas (lead partner) and FONTYS built a SPRONG group level 4 based on four pillars: RD&I-Program, Field Labs, Lab-Infrastructure, and Organizational Excellence Program. This provides a solid foundation to initiate and execute challenging, externally funded RD&I projects with partners in SPRONG stage one ('21-'25) and beyond (until' 29). DIGIREAL-XL is organized in a coherent set of Work Packages with clear objectives, tasks, deliverables, and milestones. The SPRONG group is well-positioned within the emerging MINDLABS Interactive Technologies eco-system and strengthens the regional (North-Brabant) digitalization agenda. Field labs on DR work with support and co-funding by many network organizations such as Digishape and Chronosphere and public, private, and societal organizations.
