Digital Transformation Canvas: supporting design thinking to shape IT-leveraged organisation transformations

Twenty-first-century organisations cannot be competitive without information systems and information technologies leveraging their businesses. However, due to the overwhelming diversity of technologies and their potential applications, either stable or emergent, seizing their opportunities and benefits through a digital transformation is a complex and risky endeavour. Moreover, the research literature on techniques and tools for helping structured thinking about digital transformation is scarce. To help overcome this limitation, we propose the Digital Transformation Canvas. A Design Science Research process was followed. It encompassed several iterations that involved case studies in the evaluation step. The Digital Transformation Canvas supports thinking about digital transformation in a creative and semi-structured manner, leading to the generation of new and disruptive ideas about the use of information technologies. Results show that the canvas is a valuable technique for generating ideas as well as for aligning top-management perspectives on digital transformation initiatives.