Study reveals three major obstacles blocking SMEs from going digital
A systematic review of 16 barriers to digital innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises identifies skills shortages, insufficient funding, and weak government support as the most critical hurdles. The findings suggest these obstacles are interconnected—and point to why so many SMEs struggle to compete digitally despite growing market pressure.
Originaltitel: Barriers to Digital Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: A Systematic Literature Review
<p>Digital innovation has become a critical driver of business success in today’s competitive digital economy. On the other hand, in the global economy, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are one of the key drivers, and there is a need for these enterprises to enable digital innovation that impacts their organizational and business performance. However, the research on the barriers to digital innovation in SMEs is still limited. To address this knowledge gap, a systematic literature review was used as a research strategy, and the data were collected using the PRISMA framework through large academic databases, and then analyzed using the content analysis method. To identify and categorize the barriers to digital innovation in SMEs, the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework was used. Among the sixteen identified barriers to digital innovation in SMEs, the most frequently mentioned are: Limited Specialized Workforces, Lack of Financial Funds, and Poor Support from the Government. These barriers to digital innovation in SMEs are interconnected and influence each other. The results of this research provide a structured categorization of barriers to digital innovation in SMEs using the TOE framework as well as actionable solutions to these barriers that can help policymakers, industry associations, and researchers mitigate them.</p>