Title: How digital transformation affects innovation speed and quality: the mediating roles of knowledge sharing and creation

Authors: Qingqing Song; Yiming Zuo; Jingjing Guo

Addresses: Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Strategy Research Center, Shenzhen, 518052, China ' Institutes of Science and Development, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China ' Institutes of Science and Development, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China

Abstract: In the current digital economy, digital transformation has brought about extensive and profound impacts on enterprise innovation performance. This study focuses on inter-organisational knowledge sharing and intra-organisational knowledge creation based on the knowledge-based view, and investigates their influence on the relationship between digital transformation and innovation. We employed the PLS-SEM method to analyse the questionnaire data of 219 enterprises in China. The empirical results illustrate that enterprises implementing digital transformation significantly enhance innovation speed and quality, among which knowledge creation mediates the relationship between digital transformation and innovation speed, whereas knowledge sharing mediates the relationship between digital transformation and innovation quality. By enriching the debates between digital transformation and innovation from the perspective of the knowledge-based view, this research provides a theoretical basis for enterprises to implement digital transformation and choose knowledge management strategies.

Keywords: digital transformation; innovation speed; innovation quality; knowledge sharing; knowledge creation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2025.151675

International Journal of Technology Management, 2025 Vol.98 No.2/3/4, pp.329 - 361

Received: 30 Jan 2024
Accepted: 13 Feb 2025
Published online: 13 Feb 2026 *

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