Enhancing digital collaboration through ai integration: a holistic framework for sustainable digital transformation :

The significance of the interplay between digital collaboration and digital transformation is largely recognised. With a rapid adoption of digital tools, but without a systematic framework for doing so, organisations face challenges in utilising diverse technological solutions. This leads to digital fragmentation, tool redundancy and deficient collaboration maturity. Addressing these gaps, the article aims to develop a holistic framework for enhancing digital collaboration while integrating artificial intelligence (AI). The proposed framework includes four phases and 31 factors categorised into four dimensions: business strategy & structure, management & processes, technology, and culture & behaviour. The framework moves beyond diagnostic assessment by guiding the formulation of digital collaboration improvement plans and embedding AI into each phase of digital collaboration improvement management. Although the framework is validated through a case study at an organisation that requested the results to remain confidential, the research design and selected analogous results are presented to demonstrate the flow of the validation and application of the framework. Furthermore, the integration of AI-supported collaboration practices is systematically mapped to specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), offering a structured approach for aligning digital collaboration strategies with broader sustainability objectives. This research contributes a comprehensive tool for assessing and improving digital collaboration maturity while addressing the growing need for sustainable and strategically aligned digital transformation initiatives.