The impact of the pandemic crisis on the digital transition process of Italian SMEs

In recent years, the digital revolution has impacted the entrepreneurial system globally, forcing companies to review their business models, products, and services value proposition. Companies must implement digital technologies in production processes to exploit new opportunities. This requires investing in machinery and devices and acquiring new knowledge. The national and European economic system mainly comprises Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), characterized by low managerial skills and under-capitalization, which may hinder the required investments in information technology. In Italy, the digital transition is constrained by the structural limits of its conservative entrepreneurial fabric. However, the recent pandemic crisis has accelerated this digital transition process. More and more companies have invested in R&D to increase the production process's automation level and improve their digital capabilities.

Literature has been widely investigating the impact of the pandemic crisis on the innovation process of SMEs adopting different perspectives. The study aims to answer the following research questions (RQs). RQ1: Which main foci can be identified in literature facing the impact of COVID-19 on the SMEs' innovation process? RQ2: Which new needs arose during the pandemic fostering digitalization? To answer RQ1, a Structured Literature Review (SLR) is adopted (128 studies identified on the SCOPUS database). To answer RQ2, a qualitative methodology is used based on direct observation of two Italian firms. [Publisher's text].