Customer agility in the modern automotive sector: how lead management shapes agile digital companies

摘要

In this study, the impact of customer agility and digitalisation in restructuring an automotive company and its daily operations was explored. Drawing on agility literature, we provide an empirical case study with the purpose of exploring how agility and digital transformation interconnect with one another. Our research confirms the importance of a digital mindset, flexible and agile company structure, and extensive digital skills for digital transformation. Furthermore, modern automotive companies must leverage strong IT infrastructures to maintain massive data gathered daily, both online and offline.Theoretically, our research highlights the interplay between digitalisation and customer agility and contributes to said literature stream, as it supports existing theories on organisational traits that favour agility and digitalisation. Specifically, this study extensively reveals how IT systems allow companies to interact with their environments quickly, manage real-time data streams and adapt accordingly. In practice, this study can serve as the best example for managers and practitioners, especially considering the context in which it occurred. In addition, the automotive industry is, until now, one of the most active, competitive and ever-changing sectors. Finally, this study's limitation lies within its scope; its implications may not be generalised since it focuses on the automotive industry.