Unravelling Institutional Isomorphic Dynamics on Digitalization Adoption: Insights from an Exploratory Case Study of Clothing and Textile Manufacturing Company

Given the eminence of digitalisation in the manufacturing sector worldwide, Bangladesh’s clothing and textile industry intends to be an emergent player. Yet literature relating to qualitative evidence examining the institutional drivers of digitalisation has often been neglected. Therefore, this research sought to explore a shared understanding of stakeholders’ outlook around institutional isomorphism in digitalisation adoption and then examine the associated challenges concerning the execution of digitalisation. In this thesis, new institutional theory and the Common Good HRM paradigm were used as the theoretical lens.An exploratory single-case design was adopted using a combination of abductive and inductive approaches. In doing so, qualitative insights were gathered through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions on a varied group of 47 stakeholders spanning different levels and positions within and outside the case company. Data were analysed through thematic analysis using NVivo 14 software. Empirical findings revealed coercive market pressures and coercive regulatory pressures from the global level as the dominant forces towards adopting digitalisation. Further, the result showed that suppliers adopt digitalisation primarily to meet external demands rather than proactively pursuing innovation. However, the instances of institutional entrepreneurship and knowledge spillover were located under normative pressure. Empirical analysis exhibited notable obstructions namely, regulatory impediments, HR-centric obstructions, technological and operational hurdles, and challenges from the supply chain. Finally, based on suggestive measures from informants, few principles were proposed from a common good lens through which HR administrators can advance the purposes of ecological, societal, and economic progress. Grounded on empirical enquiry, an integrated theoretical framework was drawn covering the main facets of this research.This research contributes to theory and practice by offering a rich understanding of multi-level perspectives on how socio-political factors and institutional constituents influence a firm towards digitalisation. Secondly, this study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by conferring challenges reflecting both micro and macro environmental dynamism. Lastly, considering the contests from a humanistic view, this study adds valuable insights to the literature on sustainable HRM and shows how a common good human resource management can scale up the digitalisation adoption process in a firm. The major implication of this study is to offer pragmatic evidence of institutional forces and challenges that can be used as a frame of reference through which managers and policymakers may pursue strategies from a common good lens.