Digital capability as a multilevel construct: a systematic literature review of its dimensions, antecedents, and...

Digital capability (DC) has emerged as a critical construct for understanding how individuals and organizations respond to digital transformation. Despite its growing importance, the literature remains fragmented, with inconsistent definitions, overlapping terminology, and varying levels of analysis across disciplines. This study addresses these issues by synthesizing prior research and positioning DC as a multilevel construct that integrates individual competencies and organizational capabilities.

This study employs a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach, following the guidelines. Articles were retrieved from the Scopus database, covering the period from 2007 to 2022. From an initial pool of 561 studies, 53 peer-reviewed journal articles in the fields of business and management were selected based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. A directed conceptual coding approach was used to identify and classify the antecedents and consequences of DC.

The findings indicate that DC remains conceptually underdeveloped and is predominantly examined at the individual level, particularly in relation to digital skills. At the organizational level, the literature emphasizes dimensions such as digital leadership, digital culture, and digital technology capability. The review identifies key antecedents operating across individual, organizational, and environmental levels, while the consequences of DC are associated with a range of operational and organizational outcomes, including innovation, performance, and resilience. However, empirical evidence on multilevel interactions remains limited, and methodological approaches are largely dominated by quantitative designs.

This study contributes to the literature by proposing an integrative, multilevel framework of DC that links its core dimensions, antecedents, and consequences. The findings highlight that DC should be understood as a configurational and context-dependent capability rather than a singular construct. The review also underscores the need for greater conceptual clarity, multilevel empirical research, and broader contextual exploration, particularly in SMEs and developing economies. These insights provide a foundation for future theoretical development and empirical investigation in the field of digital capability.