Digital Competence: A Multi-dimensional Conceptualization and a Typology in an SME Context

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) need to rely on information and communication technologies (ICT) to survive in the digital economy. Although the literature emphasizes the link between individual digital competence (DC) and ICT use and adoption, there is a lack of understanding of how DC can be conceptualized in an SME context. Drawing on the existing literatures on SMEs and DC and on the change a gentry perspective, this exploratory study proposes a multi-dimensional conceptualization of DC and advances a typology of three DC archetypes of SME employees: Technical Expert, Organizer, and Campaigner. We provide results from a multi-case study of three Canadian SMEs suggesting that the development of DC should take into consideration the complementarity nature of the technological, social and cognitive aspects of the DC in order to successfully implement new technologies in SMEs.