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Abstract Digital innovation is the future of work. The ongoing and interlinked transformation of digital technologies, work, communication, and organizing raises important theoretical questions. Integrating recombination-based innovation theory and institutional theory of communication, this article contributes a novel framework that specifies the theoretical linkages between macro-level institutions and digital innovation: Social actors negotiate tensions arising from multiple institutional logics through (a) attention allocation; (b) sensemaking; and (c) external, boundary-spanning networking. The framework can advance the study of communication by (a) reconciling conflicting and inconclusive empirical findings; (b) targeting research efforts; and (c) responding to critiques of communication scholarship as failing to address social contexts. By focusing on digital innovation and the interplay between societal structures and communicative action in shaping it, this article advances scholarly discussions on the future of work, conceptualizing digital innovation as an institutional as well as communicative accomplishment.
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This content will become publicly available on August 1, 2026
Digital technology and the circular economy: A theoretical perspective
This study investigates the interplay between digital technology and the circular economy (CE) within supply chain management through theoretical lenses. We conduct a systematic literature review to explore the theoretical underpinnings at the intersection of digital technology and CE. We determine the dominant theories and how they relate within a broader ecosystem. We further outline the promising avenues and topics for future research to foster the understanding and application of joint adoption of digital technology and CE. Contributing to the existing literature, this study develops a three-level framework (micro, meso, macro) enriched with a multi-stakeholder perspective to present in-depth insights into the interplay between digital technology and CE from theoretical viewpoints. Our proposed framework synthesizes 39 distinct theories, employed in literature to examine the dynamics between digital technology and CE, and categorizes them into five key areas: motivators, enablers, synergy, external environmental context, and multi-level stakeholders. Leveraging this framework, several research propositions, each grounded in one of the identified categories, are proposed to further explore this domain. This paper advances the theoretical discourse in the interplay between digital technology and CE and provides theoretical and practical implications for both scholars and practitioners.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2021871
- PAR ID:
- 10620859
- Publisher / Repository:
- Elsevier
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Computers & Industrial Engineering
- Volume:
- 206
- Issue:
- C
- ISSN:
- 0360-8352
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 111225
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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