How Do Employees Perceive Digital Transformation and its Effects? A Theory of the Smart Machine Perspective

Digital transformation continues to profoundly impact employees in organizations in many industries. While past research has extensively investigated the impact of digital transformation on organizations, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of the factors that are relevant to examine how employees perceive digital transformation and its effects. One theory that explicitly has been built to account for a digital transformation in the past is the theory of the smart machine. To provide insights about relevant factors, we apply the theory of the smart machine and develop and evaluate an instrument to measure several of its key concepts for the first time. We build on established research guidelines to provide a 36-item survey instrument to measure the concepts Introduction of IT, Effects of automation, and Effects of informating. Finally, we provide implications for practice and further research.