Guest editorial: navigating the digital transformation maze: an editorial on strategy, execution and impact for firms

<h4><b>Introduction</b></h4><p dir="ltr">Organizations worldwide are heavily investing in advanced digital technologies to reinvent their operations and value propositions. Global spending on digital transformation initiatives reached approximately $1.85 trillion (a 16% year-on-year increase) in 2023 (<a target="_blank">Revankar, 2024</a>), with this figure projected to grow to $3.9 trillion by 2027 (<a target="_blank">Shahmiri, 2025</a>). These investments reflect a widespread belief that emerging technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence [AI], Internet of Things [IoT], big data analytics [BDA] and cloud platforms) can unlock new levels of efficiency, innovation and customer value. Digital transformation entails a firm leveraging digital technologies and other business assets to revamp its operational model, processes and performance in the hope of gaining sustainable competitive advantages (<a target="_blank">Benbya <i>et al</i>., 2020</a>). This undertaking infuses digital technology into all organizational areas, fundamentally altering how a firm functions. (Cont.)</p>