Measuring companies' strategic readiness for digital transformation

Abstract

Digital transformation is a major strategic priority for organisations, yet many initiatives fail because firms are not organisationally prepared. This thesis examines how companies’ strategic readiness for digital transformation can be assessed and measured. Although many digital maturity and readiness models exist, they often focus on technological capabilities and give less attention to strategic and organisational factors. Using a qualitative research design based on an interpretive literature review and secondary analysis of prior studies, the thesis identifies key dimensions of strategic readiness and analyses how they are measured in existing frameworks. The findings show that strategic readiness is a multidimensional organisational condition, not simply a technical state. Four dimensions appear most consistently in the literature: strategic alignment, leadership and governance, organisational culture, and capabilities and resources. The study also finds that these dimensions are not measured equally well. This creates a gap between the factors considered critical for successful digital transformation and those actually measured in practice. To address this gap, the thesis proposes a conceptual framework that integrates the four core dimensions and provides illustrative indicators for assessing organisational preparedness. Although the framework is not empirically validated, it offers a clearer basis for future research and managerial assessment. Overall, the thesis argues that digital transformation evaluation should move beyond technology-focused models and give greater attention to the strategic and organisational conditions that support sustainable transformation.