Digital disruption: an Australian context of managing disruptive change in the energy industry

The impact of Digital disruption on the Australian energy industry is the focus of this research. It investigates disruptive changes to the industry. Digital technologies that occur at a pace and magnitude that disrupts established ways of value creation, social interactions, business and the ways in which people within the digital space and culture, socially react and innovate for them is researched. This thesis explores how decision-makers manage disruptive change with effective strategies that exploit progressive innovation. Building on existing literature on digital disruptions, the Disruptive Change Capability (DCC) Framework is analysed. This framework provides an understanding of managing digitally disruptive change in enterprise organisations and how to benefit from future digital disruptions. <br><br>The motivation for this research is to investigate how digitally mature organisations can transform themselves, rapidly respond to opportunities and manage challenges, embracing disruptive change to create value and stay relevant in the disruptive business environment. The primary research question is `How do enterprise decision makers understand the various aspects of digital disruption and manage disruptive change in the Australian energy industry?' An interpretative perspective was used to research the topic and an explorative case study methodology was thus utilised.<br><br>This study collects decision-makers' reactions, perceptions and feedback about the specific components of digital transformation. It presents a new set of organisational capabilities and learning, digital dynamic capabilities, digital business strategies, concepts, values and practices critical to the success and sustainability of the rapidly and technologically disruptive business environment in which the future enterprise will have to operate.<br> <br>This research delivered five key findings; Digital Mindset, External Collaboration, Customer Focus, Constraints and Future Drivers. The relationships between the five concepts linked by their related themes constitute the major findings of the thesis and were found to have a grounding with digitalisation literature.<br> <br>This research has identified the digital decision-makers' recommendations to manage digital disruptions; an organisational mindset of shared vision, an agile, digital transformation organisational culture; a customer-focused dynamic capabilities and collaboration in building trust. Furthermore, it is essential for decision makers to encourage progressive innovation; embrace co-creation to maintain mutually beneficial relationships; retaining collective digital talents; remaining responsive, adaptive and innovative as a key strategic priority; building networks with industry ecosystems, society, businesses and policy makers to indirectly influencing regulatory policies and investing in progressive technological innovation as future drivers that enable aspects of digitisation.