Table 2 Tensions and empowerments... | Emerald Publishing

Table 2

Tensions and empowerments arising from different aspects of the digitalization strategy

Aspects of digitalization strategy	Tensions	Empowerments
Digitalized resources	Structural tensions: New digital resources require new governance mechanisms (Tiwana et al., 2010); power imbalance amongst ecosystem partners implies controlled ecosystem resource access establishments by hub firms that limit the autonomy of smaller actors (Volberda et al., 2021) Psychological tensions: Mistrust, lack of transparency, and strategic misalignment (Kamalaldin et al., 2020); digital passports create tensions if firms perceive differing standards (Piccoli et al., 2022) Behavioral tensions: Resistance to change and data sharing (Kowalkowski et al., 2024)	Resource empowerment: Digital resources enable real-time data collection, monitoring, and automation, accelerate data transmission and accessibility, optimize service operations, and reduce inefficiencies (Paiola and Gebauer, 2020; Piccoli et al., 2022) Structural empowerment: Digitalized resources enable decentralized decision-making through real-time data sharing (Kowalkowski et al., 2024)
Enterprise information architecture	Structural tensions: Tensions between digital and non-digital means and various interests in a service ecosystem (Kohtamäki et al., 2019); control of architectures shifting from individual firms to ecosystems (Piccoli et al., 2022) Psychological tensions: Insufficient transparency in operations, algorithms, and data handling (Bamberger et al., 2025; Schmü;ck et al., 2025); systemic actors engaged in co-opetition for service contracts (Tóth et al., 2022); fear of how transparency may create reputation risks (Tóth et al., 2022) Behavioral tensions: Anxiety about proprietary data misuse and unauthorized access (Chatterjee et al., 2023; Filosa et al., 2025); Communication overload (Smania et al., 2024); information superabundance can cause customers such tensions (Tóth et al., 2022)	Resource empowerment: Regulate, govern, and enable data management, sharing, and processing (Piccoli et al., 2022; McCullough, 2024); enable optimization of operations, innovation, software integration, and streamlining of resources (Tóth et al., 2022; Zaki, 2019) Structural empowerment: Enable information superabundance (Tóth et al., 2022); documented data governance policies (Smania et al., 2024); documented formal controls (Marzi et al., 2023), and control of exposure of customer data (Piccoli et al., 2022)
Digital platforms	Structural tensions: Free-rider effect in open platforms by opportunistic data usage (Cennamo and Santaló, 2019) Psychological tensions: Mistrust and lack of transparency in digital platforms (Schmü;ck et al., 2025); fear of data misuse (Cennamo and Santaló, 2019) Behavioral tensions: Inadequate communication, alignment between actors, and information overload in a digital platform (Smania et al., 2024); confusion due to decentralized communication and decision making (Heikinheimo et al., 2024)	Resource empowerment: Enable integrating data from customers' connected equipment and partners' digital resources in open platforms (Kohtamäki et al., 2020); leverage analytics for offering tailored and differentiated customer solutions (Jovanovic et al., 2022; Kohtamäki et al., 2020) Structural empowerment: Facilitate transition from linear value chains to dynamic and network-based value chains (Heikinheimo et al., 2024); foster decentralization of decision-making (Heikinheimo et al., 2024)
Corporate digital responsibility	Structural tensions: Difficulty in standardizing CDR due to its newness, and the existence of differing operational norms within the ecosystem (Breidbach and Maglio, 2020); predatory data-collection culture and trade-off between data monetization and data protection (Breidbach and Maglio, 2020) Psychological tensions: Misaligned priorities and values amongst actors regarding the benefits of CDR and possible opportunity costs (Wirtz et al., 2023) Behavioral tensions: Actors prioritizing proprietary control over transparency and accountability (Breidbach and Maglio, 2020; Hartley et al., 2024)	Resource empowerment: A hub firm should encourage ethical technology development through financial incentives and capability-building investments (Breidbach and Maglio, 2020); engage in decentralizing data without transferring sensitive consumer data (Li et al., 2024); and employ data verification systems to enforce ethical data handling and auditability in data exchanges (Wirtz et al., 2023) Structural empowerment: Given the novelty of the concept, providing training and accreditation systems to institutionalize CDR practices (Li et al., 2024) and developing and disseminating CDR codes of conduct (Wirtz et al., 2023) can empower various actors in CDR implementation

Aspects of digitalization strategy	Tensions	Empowerments
Digitalized resources	Structural tensions: New digital resources require new governance mechanisms (Tiwana et al., 2010); power imbalance amongst ecosystem partners implies controlled ecosystem resource access establishments by hub firms that limit the autonomy of smaller actors (Volberda et al., 2021)Psychological tensions: Mistrust, lack of transparency, and strategic misalignment (Kamalaldin et al., 2020); digital passports create tensions if firms perceive differing standards (Piccoli et al., 2022)Behavioral tensions: Resistance to change and data sharing (Kowalkowski et al., 2024)	Resource empowerment: Digital resources enable real-time data collection, monitoring, and automation, accelerate data transmission and accessibility, optimize service operations, and reduce inefficiencies (Paiola and Gebauer, 2020; Piccoli et al., 2022)Structural empowerment: Digitalized resources enable decentralized decision-making through real-time data sharing (Kowalkowski et al., 2024)
Enterprise information architecture	Structural tensions: Tensions between digital and non-digital means and various interests in a service ecosystem (Kohtamäki et al., 2019); control of architectures shifting from individual firms to ecosystems (Piccoli et al., 2022)Psychological tensions: Insufficient transparency in operations, algorithms, and data handling (Bamberger et al., 2025; Schmü;ck et al., 2025); systemic actors engaged in co-opetition for service contracts (Tóth et al., 2022); fear of how transparency may create reputation risks (Tóth et al., 2022)Behavioral tensions: Anxiety about proprietary data misuse and unauthorized access (Chatterjee et al., 2023; Filosa et al., 2025); Communication overload (Smania et al., 2024); information superabundance can cause customers such tensions (Tóth et al., 2022)	Resource empowerment: Regulate, govern, and enable data management, sharing, and processing (Piccoli et al., 2022; McCullough, 2024); enable optimization of operations, innovation, software integration, and streamlining of resources (Tóth et al., 2022; Zaki, 2019)Structural empowerment: Enable information superabundance (Tóth et al., 2022); documented data governance policies (Smania et al., 2024); documented formal controls (Marzi et al., 2023), and control of exposure of customer data (Piccoli et al., 2022)
Digital platforms	Structural tensions: Free-rider effect in open platforms by opportunistic data usage (Cennamo and Santaló, 2019)Psychological tensions: Mistrust and lack of transparency in digital platforms (Schmü;ck et al., 2025); fear of data misuse (Cennamo and Santaló, 2019)Behavioral tensions: Inadequate communication, alignment between actors, and information overload in a digital platform (Smania et al., 2024); confusion due to decentralized communication and decision making (Heikinheimo et al., 2024)	Resource empowerment: Enable integrating data from customers' connected equipment and partners' digital resources in open platforms (Kohtamäki et al., 2020); leverage analytics for offering tailored and differentiated customer solutions (Jovanovic et al., 2022; Kohtamäki et al., 2020)Structural empowerment: Facilitate transition from linear value chains to dynamic and network-based value chains (Heikinheimo et al., 2024); foster decentralization of decision-making (Heikinheimo et al., 2024)
Corporate digital responsibility	Structural tensions: Difficulty in standardizing CDR due to its newness, and the existence of differing operational norms within the ecosystem (Breidbach and Maglio, 2020); predatory data-collection culture and trade-off between data monetization and data protection (Breidbach and Maglio, 2020)Psychological tensions: Misaligned priorities and values amongst actors regarding the benefits of CDR and possible opportunity costs (Wirtz et al., 2023)Behavioral tensions: Actors prioritizing proprietary control over transparency and accountability (Breidbach and Maglio, 2020; Hartley et al., 2024)	Resource empowerment: A hub firm should encourage ethical technology development through financial incentives and capability-building investments (Breidbach and Maglio, 2020); engage in decentralizing data without transferring sensitive consumer data (Li et al., 2024); and employ data verification systems to enforce ethical data handling and auditability in data exchanges (Wirtz et al., 2023)Structural empowerment: Given the novelty of the concept, providing training and accreditation systems to institutionalize CDR practices (Li et al., 2024) and developing and disseminating CDR codes of conduct (Wirtz et al., 2023) can empower various actors in CDR implementation