The Enablers and Hinderances of Digital Transformation in a South African Corporate Bank
Date
2023
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Abstract
The success of many firms in the age of the fourth industrial revolution depends on the astuteness and pace of their response to digital transformation (DT). DT is a business phenomenon that is yet to be fully understood across industries and sectors. In the banking industry, most research pertaining to DT has focused on
retail banking. There is very little research about DT in corporate banks and no research about it in a South African corporate bank, to the best of the researcher’s knowledge.
The purpose of this research study was to assess DT in a South African corporate bank (referred to as “CIB”) by focusing on the following objectives: assessing the DT journey of CIB, assessing the digital maturity level of CIB, and investigating the enablers and hinderances of DT in CIB. The study adopted a qualitative research design and used a case study strategy of enquiry. Twelve participants that comprised executives, leaders, and employees of the bank were purposively selected and interviewed to generate rich data.
The research findings showed that CIB is a complex environment with customer segments, products, and services that exhibit different characteristics related to volume and variation. CIB has achieved much progress regarding DT in a relatively short while. However, there are hinderances to DT that emanate from
an imbalance in top-down and bottom-up strategies, the absence of a unifying digital vision, a conservative approach to innovation, misalignment with the
greater banking group, and a lack of consistent basic digital knowledge.
At a high level, this study recommends that CIB considers the elements of strategy and vision, people and culture, process and governance, and technology capabilities that are discussed at length in this research report to formulate a unified business strategy and vision for DT amongst other recommendations.
The complexity of corporate banking means that DT will most likely have boundaries because of the necessity of physical engagement, and the requirement for human cognitive abilities, creativity, and ingenuity is likely to remain in this environment for longer than in most other sectors and industries.
Description
A research report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in the field of Digital Business to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Wits Business School, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023
Keywords
Digitalisation, Digital Transformation, Digital Maturity, Digital Strategy, Digital Vision, Corporate Bank, UCTD
Citation
Pillay, Jared. (2023). The Enablers and Hinderances of Digital Transformation in a South African Corporate Bank [Master’s dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. WireDSpace.https://hdl.handle.net/10539/40326