Digital twin, digital thread, and digital mindset in enabling digital transformation: A socio-technical systems perspective

Digital transformation (DT) is revolutionizing industrial businesses, with advanced technologies driving unprecedented change. However, change is uncertain, and industrial managers need clarity on the most effective digital transformation strategies. This study investigates the critical roles of digital twins, digital threads, and digital mindsets as socio-technical enablers of successful DT. We examine the interplay between these enablers and their impact on DT outcomes from the perspective of socio-technical systems theory. We comprehensively analyze these socio-technical enablers and their effects on DT using a variance-based structured equation model (PLS-SEM). Our findings reveal that digital twins and digital threads have direct, significant influences on DT success. Notably, we discover that a digital mindset plays a crucial mediating role in the relationship between digital threads and DT. In contrast, its impact on the digital twin–DT relationship is less pronounced. Based on these insights, we propose an empirically grounded framework to guide scholars, managers, and advisors in navigating the complexities of DT. This framework offers a nuanced understanding of how digital technologies and organizational mindsets interact to drive successful digital transformation. Our research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on the socio-technical systems view of DT. It provides practical implications for industrial managers seeking to optimize their DT strategies. Highlights 1. Offers a conceptualization of the digital transformation of industrial businesses. 2. Presents critical enablers and contingencies for digital transformation. 3. Identifies digital twin, digital thread as enablers, and digital mindset as a contingency for 1. digital transformation. 4. Reports effects of critical enablers and contingencies on digital transformation. 5. Guides industrial managers engaged in digital transformation.