Behind the Scenes of Strategy: Middle-Management Tactics for Shaping Digital Transformation

The abundance of technological innovations has dramatically increased the prominence of digital transformation processes in many organizations and sectors. At the present time, digital transformation is first and foremost depicted in the literature as a “strategy” carefully elaborated and deployed by diligent executives. This stands in sharp contrast with the literature on organizational change, and most especially the strategy-as-practice research stream, which has increasingly underlined the capability of middle managers to weigh upon strategizing processes. An empirical inquiry conducted in a major aeronautics company reveals that digital transformation can be largely driven by middle managers in charge of specific information systems projects, who operate in the absence of a well-defined, overarching strategy. Drawing on the sociology of translation, the paper identifies four tactics used by middle managers to ensure that their projects make it to the strategic agenda of the firm. Ultimately, the findings suggest that digital transformation processes cannot be solely understood as strategic endeavors, and can result from the addition of disjointed technological projects driven by middle managers instead.