Digital Business Transformation: Harmonizing Theory and Practice and Conceptualizing Platform-Based Approaches to Knowledge Management

The purpose of this study is to examine the problem of harmonizing theory and practice in the management of digital business transformation and to conceptualize platform-based approaches to knowledge management in this field. This objective determined the two-stage research design of the study. In the first stage, an in-depth analysis was conducted to assess how management solutions for digital business transformation are represented in Russian academic literature. Based on an empirical study of the contribution made by the academic community to addressing practical issues of digital business transformation, the authors identified the extent to which relevant research is represented in the literature and assessed the practical significance of its findings. Additionally, a comparative analysis of the views of Russian and foreign researchers was performed. This analysis revealed both the convergence of Russian and international perspectives on the development of digital business transformation theory and several points of differentiation. The study found that theoretical research cannot be fully developed without feedback from the business community, while business organizations require methodological support but are constrained by institutional limitations. After identifying the imbalance between theory and practice in digital business transformation and determining its causes, the second stage of the study focused on conceptualizing platform-based approaches to knowledge management in this area. Since the state is also a stakeholder in digitalization processes, the authors conceptualized the possibilities and prospects of applying a platform-based approach to the organization of cooperation between the academic and business communities in the field of digital business transformation. As a result, a configuration model of a platform ecosystem for interaction between the academic and business communities is proposed.

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