The enablers of digital transformation in logistics providers

Global logistics increasingly depends on digital transformation to achieve speed, visibility, and sustainability, yet many initiatives fail due to misalignment between technological capabilities and organizational readiness. Addressing this challenge, this study integrates Socio-Technical Systems (STS) theory with the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) and Fuzzy DEMATEL to identify critical enablers of digital transformation and map their causal structure in the logistics industry. Data were collected from 26 experts with at least five years of experience in logistics, supply chain, and operations. Findings reveal that human capital readiness, change management and communication, and data management and analytics capability serve as core causal drivers of digital transformation, while socio-technical alignment and change readiness emerge as dependent outcomes. These results demonstrate that successful transformation depends not solely on technology but on the joint optimization of people, processes, and digital systems. The study advances STS theory by showing that alignment is an emergent property rather than a precondition, and it provides managers with a prioritized pathway for capability development. Limitations include reliance on expert judgment and the focus on logistics.

Findings reveal that human capital readiness, change management and communication, and data management and analytics capability serve as core causal drivers of digital transformation, while socio-technical alignment and change readiness emerge as dependent outcomes.