Crafting Digital Pathways for Employee Engagement: A Case Study on Communities of Practice and Situated Learning in Digital Transformation

Digital transformation (DT) is essential for the survival and competitiveness of contemporary enterprises. Successful DT relies on active employee engagement and contributions, with learning serving as a pivotal enabler. However, the extant literature offers limited insights into how to effectively engage employees in DT. Furthermore, the dynamic, complex, and novel nature of DT often exceeds the capacity of conventional learning practices, underscoring the necessity of “learning by doing.” Drawing on situated learning theory and the concept of communities of practice (CoPs), this longitudinal case study examines how employee engagement in DT occurs through practice-based learning. Research rigour is ensured through systematic triangulation of multiple data sources, iterative cycles of data collection and analysis, and constant comparison across emerging themes. Our analysis identified three critical phases of employee engagement in DT: Domain Identification, DT Community Preparation, and DT Practice Engagement. The first two phases fostered employee engagement and empowerment, while the third one enabled exploratory and exploitative situated learning within DT CoPs, leading to successful outcomes. These findings provide valuable insights into fostering employee engagement in DT and advancing the research on facilitating practice-based learning in DT.