Digital-intelligence upgrading, knowledge management and firm resilience

Purpose This paper aims to explore the impact of digital-intelligence upgrading on firm resilience from the perspective of knowledge management, against the backdrop of technological transformation, knowledge iteration and environmental uncertainty, with a particular focus on the roles of knowledge management mechanisms of knowledge acquisition, integration and creation capabilities. Design/methodology/approach Based on the knowledge-based view, this paper integrates digital-intelligence upgrading, knowledge management and firm resilience into a unified analytical framework and takes China’s A-share listed firms from 2018 to 2023 as a research object to demonstrate the specific impacts of digital-intelligence upgrading on firm resilience. Findings Benchmark regression tests indicate that digital-intelligence upgrading can improve firm resilience. Mechanism tests of knowledge management show that enhancing knowledge acquisition, integration and creation capabilities are three important mechanisms for improving firm resilience through digital-intelligence upgrading. Heterogeneity tests reveal that digital-intelligence upgrading more significantly improves resilience in non-state-owned, energy-dependent industries and coastal-region firms. Originality/value This research offers novel insight into the intersection of digital-intelligence upgrading, knowledge management and firm resilience. This not only expands the research boundary of the impact of digital-intelligence upgrading on firm resilience and enriches the application scenarios of the knowledge-based view, but also provides a feasible pathway for firms to enhance knowledge management capabilities through digital-intelligence upgrading and thus improve resilience to achieve sustainable development.