Driving digital transformation: strategies and innovations in the Jordanian telecom industry

Resumen

The telecom industry in Jordan has undergone significant transformations and challenges in recent years, reflecting the evolving landscape of technology and consumer demands. The telecom sector plays a pivotal role in its socio-economic development and connectivity with the global community. However, as with many countries, it has faced its fair share of different challenges to adapt to the changing telecommunications landscape. Challenges in Jordan's telecom sector encompass various issues. These range from internal communication barriers hindering digital transformation to a risk-averse culture hindering development. Funding issues stemming from an operational focus rather than strategic investment further impede progress. Additionally, there's a shortage of digital expertise, limiting innovation and technology adoption, and a scarcity of technical resources, challenging competitiveness in the dynamic telecom landscape. To gain practical insights into addressing these challenges, data was collected through a survey research design involving three Jordanian telecom companies and a sample of 307 managerial-level employees. These key stakeholders in the telecom sector provided invaluable perspectives for understanding the industry's dynamics. We have used these dates to make a mix of three different types of research around digital transformation. Strategic vigilance of technological innovation is a crucial determinant in accommodating long-term and structural changes in the market and environment. Drawing upon dynamic capability theory to achieve long-term competitive advantages, the first research aims to investigate the influence of strategy vigilance dimensions on entrepreneurial orientation and analyzes how technological innovation mediates the relationship between variables. The authors used structural equation modeling to test the impacts of strategic vigilance on entrepreneurial orientation. The study results found that increased awareness of monitoring and following the internal and external environment contributes to flexibility and time saving by detecting early signals of threats and opportunities. This alignment with risk-taking, proactiveness, and technological innovation generates new goods and services for shared value. However, strategic vigilance did not affect entrepreneurial proactiveness due to intense competition and the need to study customer behavior. Thus, strategic vigilance positively impacts entrepreneurial orientation, and technological innovation mediates this impact, particularly in telecom companies. The role of business intelligence in driving strategic planning in organizations has received considerable attention from many scholars. Nonetheless, there remains a promising area for further research, especially when considering moderating variables on effects such as knowledge management, which has contributed to businesses appreciation of the importance of business intelligence. To this end, in the second research study, the researchers constructed a conceptual model based on existing literature by incorporating relevant research variables. The researchers then utilized structural equation modeling with AMOS 21.0 to validate and test the model. The findings of the study revealed that business intelligence has a positive significant influence on strategic foresight. Furthermore, the analysis indicated that knowledge management mediates the relationship between business intelligence and strategic foresight. The implications and recommendations of academic research are also discussed. To survive in a dynamic and fiercely competitive environment, companies are forced to simultaneously offer digital tools and solutions to thrive, although the literature indicates the value of business intelligence on companies, but minimal studies on how to combine business intelligence and digital marketing in improving strategic ambidexterity. The third research study examines the impact of business intelligence on strategic ambidexterity and then discovers the moderator role of digital marketing in the relationship between them. The data was analyzed using SPSS version (23) software programs. The results support the notion that business intelligence and digital marketing are positively associated with explorative and exploitative activities, which in turn enhances performance and competition to increase productivity and maximize profits. Moreover, the study found that companies that use strategic ambidexterity are evolving toward a future of new technology and new markets through proper management of the corresponding exploitation and exploration processes. This thesis aims to present a cohesive narrative that seamlessly weaves together the themes explored in three research, collectively shedding light on the multifaceted journey of the Jordanian telecom industry. Also provides insights into overcoming challenges and driving digital transformation in this dynamic sector. They collectively address themes of strategic vigilance, entrepreneurial orientation, technological innovation, business intelligence, strategic foresight, knowledge management, digital marketing, and strategic ambidexterity. Through these research papers, we explore strategies and innovations that can potentially transform the Jordanian telecom industry, fostering a more resilient and adaptive sector in the face of evolving technological and market demands.