مجلة الواحات للبحوث و الدراسات
Volume 18, Numéro 2, Pages 752-773
2025-12-01
The Socio-technical Foundations Of Digital Transformation In Media Organizations: A Theoretical Framework For Performance Enhancement
Authors : Abdelhalim Rekab .
Abstract
This study develops a socio-technical framework for digital transformation in media organizations, arguing that techno-centric approaches fail because they ignore human and organizational factors. The author positions digital transformation as a socio-technical redesign process requiring joint optimization of technical and social systems, not merely technological upgrades. Three key propositions are advanced: transformation fails without socio-technical redesign; participatory design routines increase success by aligning technology with human needs; and socio-technical approaches achieve superior performance across operational, innovative, human-centric, and societal dimensions. Drawing on empirical barrier research, the study identifies five critical obstacle dimensions: technical barriers like infrastructure deficiencies and isolated systems; organizational barriers including unclear roadmaps and immature decision-making; cultural barriers such as status quo resistance and change management failures; skills barriers involving missing digital literacy and insufficient training; and resource barriers including financial constraints and personnel shortages. The framework proposes a revised design sequence: strategic choices inspired by digital possibilities, core work system design with task allocation, regulation system design for decentralized control, and agile technical implementation. Performance is redefined across operational efficiency, innovative capacity, human-centric outcomes, and societal impact. The research reveals how digital systems progressively penetrate media work through four roles: assist, substitute, manage, and organize/control. Critical success factors include participatory design, joint optimization, continuous learning, balancing exploitation with exploration, and prioritizing quality of working life alongside productivity. Major identified barriers include sticking to the status quo (cultural), insufficient training (skills), deficient IT infrastructure (technical), and lacking transformation roadmaps (organizational). This work bridges digital transformation research with socio-technical systems theory, providing media organizations a human-centered framework for navigating technological change while preserving journalistic values and democratic functions.
Keywords
Digital transformation ; Socio-technical systems design ; Media organization ; Performance enhancement ; Barriers to digital transformation
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