Abstract:

The exploratory nature of this study is guided by the following research question: How do Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Gävleborg County perceive the prerequisites and critical factors of digitalisation.  Thus, this paper aims to map SME´s digital maturity and their views on how to manage the opportunities and challenges brought about by digitalisation in order to foster their competitiveness in local, regional, national and international contexts. This research does not conceptualise digitalisation as merely a technology issue – as most commonly envisaged. Digitalisation is about something else; it is an approach and a capability to create and make available values by means of existing technology in a global, but the capability to exploit its benefit and manage its challenges varies on a national and sectorial basis. That is to say, the capability of utilising gathered data for something more than just reducing production costs. Thus, the basic tenet upon which this paper rests is a recognition that digitalisation is an oxymoron. This is due largely to the fact that as long as its development is based on technology that is equally available all over the world, but simultaneously hampered by the capability to utilize it, might from a Swedish perspective be viewed as a threat, but it is also regarded as a great opportunity.