Assessing the role of knowledge management to enhance or prevent digital transformation in SMEs: critical knowledge factors required

The 4th industrial revolution or Knowledge Age enhances the transition to knowledge-driven organizations that rely on data, technologies and learn how to manage all the variables involved in their digital transformation (DT). How should firms manage their knowledge during their DT is an underdeveloped research issue, especially in the SMEs' context. Employing a mixed inductive-deductive approach, this multiple case-study of 35 SMEs tries to shed light on which are the critical knowledge factors required to support and hinder DT in SMEs' context.