2. Digital Transformation Strategies of Multidisciplinary Design Firms: Key-takeaways from Experts’ Interviews

The aim of this chapter is to present the digital transformation strategies adopted by a sample of multidisciplinary design firms. For doing this, first, the author selects three Italian multidisciplinary design firms of different sizes (small, medium, and big) and at diverse digital maturity levels. Second, semi-structured interviews with the BIM manager/coordinator of each firm are conducted to collect data about the digital transformation strategy adopted by the firm. Each of the three firms is investigated according to the same pre-defined theoretical framework. For doing this, the author proposes four interpretation lenses to frame the changes which multidisciplinary design firms implement in order to manage digital transformation. These four lenses are People, Process, Product, and Policy (4Ps). Finally, the combination of the literature review and expert interviews leads the author to identify two paradigm shifts which synthesize the process-oriented and organizational changes associated with the digital transformation of multidisciplinary design firms: (1) From a silo-based and sequential to a collaborative and iterative digital design process; and (2) From a vertical and hierarchical to a platform-based and networked organization.