Digital Imprinting: The Role of History in Digital Strategising at a Predigital Organisation

Advances in digital technologies are rapidly transforming organisations in multiple industries, including traditional firms. When adopting technologies to compete with digital players, predigital organisations face unique challenges because of their history and traditions. However, little is known about the role of organisational history on digital strategising. We conducted an in-depth historical case study of a traditional hardware store that is currently implementing a digital strategy. Grounded in a qualitative interpretative analysis, we find that organisational traditions were rewritten over time and continue to affect digital strategising practices. Adopting imprinting theory as a lens, we plan to develop a process model of digital imprinting that explains how traditions inform the emergence of digital imprints and their role in the making of digital strategy in predigital organisations.