| Summary: | Ilido Barreto (2010, p. 271) defined dynamic capabilities as “the firm`s potential to systematically solve problems, formed by its propensity to sense opportunities and threats, to make timely and market-oriented decisions, and to change its resource base“. To answer the question, why and how some firms are able to succeed in a digitally disrupted environment while others do not, this study empirically investigates, which role the digital maturity state plays within the performance effects of dynamic capabilities. Within the framework of this study, measurement tools to assess the dynamic capability level based on Barreto`s conceptual work and the firm-specific digital maturity state have been developed and applied to an online survey. 51 C-level representatives of German utility firms participated in the survey from which the dynamic capability level, the digital maturity state and the organization`s competitive advantage were derived and compared. The results showed a significant positive effect of both, dynamic capabilities and digital maturity on competitive advantage. Further, a significant mediation effect of digital maturity on the overall positive effect of dynamic capabilities on competitive advantage was found in this study, indicating that digital maturity, as an intermediate outcome of a high dynamic capability level, mediates the overall positive performance effects of dynamic capabilities in an industry context affected by digital dynamics. The present study contributes to the body of empirical research on dynamic capabilities, digital transformation and strategic management and can be seen as fundamental research functioning as an impulse and methodological base for further empirical studies.
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