The two sides of the same coin: introduction of technology in SMEs

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) increasingly need to adopt new technologies while also adapting their business models to remain competitive. However, research often studies these processes separately, focusing either on technology adoption and assimilation or on business model innovation. This thesis explores how these processes are connected in practice and how SMEs manage them simultaneously during organizational transformation.
The research first examines the existing literature and identifies a lack of integration between these research areas. It then investigates EU agri-food SMEs cases to understand how they assimilate technologies and adapt their business models under different contextual conditions. The findings show that companies follow different transformation paths depending on conditions such as resources, partnerships, technological characteristics, and market conditions.
Based on these insights, this thesis develops a framework to help SMEs better align technology assimilation and business model innovation during technological transformation. The framework is further explored through its application in three agri-food SMEs.