# digital transformation

> adoption of digital technology by a social entity

**Wikidata**: [Q4252370](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4252370)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_transformation)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/digital-transformation

## Summary  
Digital transformation is the adoption of digital technology by a social entity, reshaping how organizations operate, deliver value, and interact with stakeholders. It is classified as a strategic‑management concept that sits within the broader field of information technology and is closely linked to digitization and IT‑enabled transformation.

## Key Facts  
- **Definition (Wikidata):** “adoption of digital technology by a social entity.”  
- **Instance of:** strategic management, concept.  
- **Subclass of:** information technology and transformation.  
- **Part of:** the information technology class and universal design in the workplace.  
- **Has part:** digitization (the process of converting analog information into digital form).  
- **Practised by:** chief information officers (CIOs).  
- **Studied by:** information systems studies.  
- **Identifiers:** YSO ID 8692; EuroVoc ID c_658ff033; Freebase ID /m/0g5r88p; UNESCO Thesaurus ID concept17181.  
- **Aliases:** DX, Transformacion Digital, E‑transformation, Digital Business Transformation, digitale Transformation, Digitalisierung, デジタル変革, 数位转型.  
- **Sitelink count:** 34 Wikipedia language editions (ar, az, ca, de, el, en, es, et, fa, fi, …).  
- **Image:** https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Three_people,_one_phone_-_IMG_1505_(8571247015).jpg  

## FAQs  
### Q: What does “digital transformation” mean?  
A: It is the process by which an organization adopts digital technologies to fundamentally change its operations, services, and interactions with customers and partners.  

### Q: How is digital transformation different from digitization?  
A: Digitization is the conversion of analog data into digital form, while digital transformation uses that digital data to redesign business models, processes, and strategies.  

### Q: Who typically leads digital transformation initiatives?  
A: Chief information officers (CIOs) and senior leadership teams are the primary drivers, often supported by strategic‑management frameworks.  

### Q: Is digital transformation a one‑time project?  
A: No; it is an ongoing strategic effort that evolves with emerging technologies and changing market conditions.  

### Q: Where can I learn more about digital transformation?  
A: It is studied within information systems curricula and covered in many Wikipedia language editions under the title “Digital transformation.”  

## Why It Matters  
Digital transformation reshapes the competitive landscape by enabling organizations to leverage data, automation, and connectivity for faster decision‑making and new value creation. By integrating digital tools into core processes, firms can improve efficiency, enhance customer experiences, and open novel revenue streams. The shift also influences workforce skills, requiring leaders to adopt strategic‑management mindsets and CIOs to orchestrate technology adoption. In a world increasingly dependent on connectivity and smart devices, digital transformation is the engine that turns raw digital data into actionable insight, ensuring entities remain relevant and resilient in the digital era.  

## Notable For  
- **Strategic‑management classification:** One of the few concepts formally recognized as an instance of strategic management within information technology.  
- **Broad linguistic reach:** Documented across at least ten Wikipedia language editions, reflecting global relevance.  
- **Formal identifiers:** Holds unique IDs in multiple vocabularies (YSO, EuroVoc, Freebase, UNESCO Thesaurus), facilitating cross‑domain data integration.  
- **Explicit component linkage:** Defined as having the part “digitization,” underscoring its foundational relationship to data conversion.  
- **Practitioner focus:** Explicitly associated with chief information officers, highlighting its governance model.  

## Body  

### Definition and Scope  
- Digital transformation describes the systematic adoption of digital technologies (cloud computing, AI, IoT, etc.) by a social entity (company, government, nonprofit).  
- It is recorded in Wikidata as “adoption of digital technology by a social entity.”  

### Classification  
- **Instance of:** strategic management, concept.  
- **Subclass of:** information technology; transformation.  
- **Part of:** the broader information technology class and universal design in the workplace.  

### Core Components  
- **Digitization:** The conversion of analog information into digital form; listed as a “has part” of digital transformation.  
- **IT‑enabled transformation:** A partially coincident concept that emphasizes technology as an enabler of change.  

### Stakeholders and Roles  
- **Chief Information Officer (CIO):** Primary practitioner responsible for steering digital transformation initiatives.  
- **Strategic leadership:** Uses strategic‑management frameworks to align technology adoption with business goals.  

### Academic and Knowledge Context  
- Studied within information systems curricula, reflecting its interdisciplinary nature.  
- Recognized in multiple knowledge bases: YSO (ID 8692), EuroVoc (c_658ff033), Freebase (/m/0g5r88p), UNESCO Thesaurus (concept17181).  

### Related Entities  
- **Connected World (digital transformation):** A derivative concept emphasizing reliance on connectivity, smart devices, and data‑driven decision‑making.  
- **IT‑enabled transformation:** Overlaps with digital transformation but focuses specifically on technology as the catalyst.  

### Identifiers and Metadata  
| Property | Value |
|----------|-------|
| Image | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Three_people,_one_phone_-_IMG_1505_(8571247015).jpg |
| YSO ID | 8692 (digitalisaatio, digitalisering, digitalisation) |
| EuroVoc ID | c_658ff033 |
| Freebase ID | /m/0g5r88p |
| UNESCO Thesaurus ID | concept17181 |
| Sitelink count | 34 (multiple language editions) |
| Aliases | DX, Transformacion Digital, E‑transformation, Digital Business Transformation, digitale Transformation, Digitalisierung, デジタル変革, 数位转型 |

## Schema Markup  
```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Thing",
  "name": "Digital transformation",
  "description": "Adoption of digital technology by a social entity, classified as a strategic‑management concept within information technology.",
  "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_transformation",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_transformation"
  ],
  "additionalType": "StrategicManagementConcept"
}

## References

1. [Source](https://komor.de/digitisation-and-digitalisation-you-need-to-know-the-difference)
2. Digital Era Framework. Ein Bezugsrahmen für das Digitale Informationszeitalter.
3. Digital Era Framework
4. YSO-Wikidata mapping project
5. FactGrid
6. [OpenAlex](https://docs.openalex.org/download-snapshot/snapshot-data-format)