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COVID-19 and digitalization: The great acceleration
Open accessAbstract
Inspired by burgeoning scholarly interest in the role of digitalization in the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper examines how the COVID-19 pandemic is driving or constraining the digitalization of businesses around the globe. We contend that COVID-19 is "the great accelerator" in fast-tracking the existing global trend towards embracing modern emerging technologies ushering in transformations in lifestyle, work patterns, and business strategies. Thus, COVID-19 has evolved to be a kind of "catalyst" for the adoption and increasing use of digitalization in work organization and the office, alongside presenting foreseen and unforeseen opportunities, challenges, and costs-leading to negative and positive feedback loops. In this article, we develop and advance a conceptual model by linking the different forces for and against digitalization in response to the pandemic. Our analysis indicates that adoption of emerging technologies may be hindered by vested external interests, nostalgia, and employer opportunism, as well as negative effects on employee well-being that undermine productivity, work-life balance, and future of work. Whilst digitalization may bring new opportunities, the process imparts risks that may be hard to mitigate or prepare for. Finally, we draw out the wider theoretical and practical implications of our analysis.
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Metadata
- Authors
- Amankwah-Amoah, J., Khan, Z., Wood, G., & Knight, G.
- Affiliations
- University of Aberdeen (GB)
- Western University (CA)
- Willamette University (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Business Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2021-11
- Volume
- 136
- Pages
- 602-611
- ISSN
- 0148-2963 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8437806
- OpenAlex
- W3191826040
- Cited by
- 947
- References
- 72
- Citations by year
- 2026: 132 · 2025: 195 · 2024: 235 · 2023: 237 · 2022: 134 · 2021: 12
- FWCI
- 117.96
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- europepmc.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Business Research (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Aberdeen University Research Archive (Aberdeen University) (submittedVersion)
- Kent Academic Repository (University of Kent) (submittedVersion)
- Osuva (University of Vaasa) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Griffith Research Online (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Corporate Management and Leadership
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Digital Economy and Transformation
- Keywords
- COVID-19 pandemic, digitalization, digital transformation, emerging technologies, work organization, remote work, employee well-being, work-life balance, future of work, conceptual model, vested interests, nostalgia
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