How do collective identities influence sector‐wide digital transformations? Insights from the European cooperative sector
本文运用多层次视角理论，研究集体身份如何影响欧洲合作社部门的数字化转型，发现集体身份既能通过动员资源和增强合法性促进转型，也可能在不同阶段造成摩擦，并提出了一个将集体身份与数字化转型叙事联系起来的新框架。
Abstract This paper applies the multilevel perspective (MLP) theory to investigate how collective identities influence sector‐wide digital transformations, focusing on the cooperative sector in Europe. By employing a wide mix of primary and secondary data from platform and incumbent cooperatives, our analysis showed that collective identities facilitate sector‐wide digital transformations by mobilizing resources and enhancing the legitimacy of niche innovations. However, they can also act as a source of friction across the different phases theorized by the MLP. Drawing on these findings, we propose a novel framework that links the influence of collective identities with overarching narratives framing digital transformation as either a threat, an inevitable tendency, or an opportunity to reaffirm collective identities. In addition to expanding current theorization on the role of collective identities, narratives, and intermediaries in sociotechnical transitions, our analysis urges managers and intermediary organizations to take the lead on the co‐creation of sector‐specific digital transformation narratives, reconciling collective identities with transition processes (and vice versa).