Master Thesis

DRIVING MANAGERIAL SATISFACTION IN THE DIGITAL ERA: ANA-

Title:
LYZING THE EFFECTS OF DIGITAL PLATFORMS, SUPPORT, AND
OUTWARD DIGITALIZATION IN EQUANS
Confidential: No

Tim Calleeuw
Student number I16150418
By

Study International Business

Specialization for MSc IB students* Entrepreneurship and Business Development
*For a combined thesis:2ndspecialisation Supply Chain Management
Thesis supervisor (1st specialization) Kristin Kronenberg
Second reader (if already known) Degree, Last name, prefix, First name
*Thesis supervisor 2ndspecialisation Özge Tüncel

Date & Place 23.06.2023

School of Business and Economics

Master

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Academic year 2022-2023 Maastricht University School of Business and Economics

Abstract
In the past years, digitalization has been an ever-growing topic. Companies all over the world
are becoming more and more digital. With this digitalization, a lot of different technologies
have been introduced. This thesis focuses on three different aspects of digitalization: digital
platforms, digital support, and outward digitalization. These are all based on management sat-
isfaction and how they see the use of technology within the company. Company data has been
used from Equans, provided as a survey to measure these different aspects. 150 managers
were asked to fill in the survey, and 56 participated. This data is then analyzed using various
regressions, testing the various hypotheses. Both digital platforms and digital support are cre-
ated in-house, while outward digitalization checks if Equans IT understands customer needs
and can therefore sell these technologies externally, creating more revenue. This allows for an
analysis of the entrepreneurial mind of the company as well. These findings will provide
Equans with insights into the strengths and weaknesses of their in-house created technologies
from a managerial perspective and valuable information if selling externally is an option.

Acknowledgments
First, I would like to thank Equans for allowing me to write my thesis as part of an internship.
They allowed me to create a survey and use company data to bring this thesis to a successful
end. Without this opportunity, the thesis would have been much more complicated to conduct
and finish.
I want to thank my supervisors, Kristin Kronenberg & Özge Tüncel, for their support and pro-
fessional feedback. Without them, my thesis would probably not have been of the best quality
or even finished in time.
Lastly, I want to thank my parents and friends who supported me throughout my student time
at Maastricht. I always knew I could rely on them for feedback or support in good and bad
times. This was very valuable to me, and I am very grateful.

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Contents

Abstract................................................................................................................................................. 1
Acknowledgments................................................................................................................................. 1
Research aim..................................................................................................................................... 5
Thesis Structure................................................................................................................................ 5
Literature review.................................................................................................................................. 5
Hypothesis development................................................................................................................ 12
Variables Introduction and Conceptual Framework................................................................... 13
Methodology....................................................................................................................................... 15
Data Collection............................................................................................................................... 15
Sampling Selection......................................................................................................................... 16
Survey.............................................................................................................................................. 17
Data analysis techniques................................................................................................................ 18
Control Variables............................................................................................................................ 19
Ethical considerations.................................................................................................................... 20
Reliability Analysis:........................................................................................................................ 21
Correlation analysis........................................................................................................................ 21
Assumptions.................................................................................................................................... 22
Assumption 1: Linearity Assumption........................................................................................ 23
Assumption 2: Multivariate normality..................................................................................... 24
Assumption 3: No multicollinearity.......................................................................................... 25
Assumption 4: Homoscedasticity............................................................................................... 25
Results................................................................................................................................................. 26
Linear Regression Results.............................................................................................................. 27
Management satisfaction and digital platforms (Model 1)...................................................... 27
Management satisfaction and digital support (Model 2)......................................................... 28
Management satisfaction and outward digitalization (Model 3).............................................28
Multiple Regression Analysis (Model 4)........................................................................................ 29
Interpretation of results Multiple Regression:............................................................................. 29
Discussion............................................................................................................................................ 30
Limitations...................................................................................................................................... 33
Future research............................................................................................................................... 34
Conclusion........................................................................................................................................... 35
Appendix:............................................................................................................................................ 42
Appendix A: Survey Questions...................................................................................................... 42

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Introduction

In recent years a digital era has struck the world and the business world (Brynjolsson &
Mcafee, 2014). This new digital age brings many opportunities and threats that must be con-
sidered (Schwab, 2016; Sommer, 2015). Even though the risk of wrongly implementing or
just forcing others to implement as part of these threats, the upside digitalization can bring to
the company is immense (Guo et al., 2017). Managers worldwide should embrace this new
challenge by critically analyzing what the company lacks or needs. There is a long list of tech-
nologies that can be used when talking about digitalization. Some are big data analytics, digi-
tal platforms, IOT (internet of Things), and many more (Martinez, 2019).
As there are so many options, finding the right technology for the company is often
complicated, which is one of the biggest challenges of digitalizing a company. Forcing to im-
plement something a company does not necessarily need can do more harm than good and
should thus be analyzed deeply by managers (Martinez, 2019). An example of such imple-
mentation failure happened in the early 90s at FoxMeyer. They had the idea of implementing
an ERP system as they saw it saved much money compared with their competitors. Once im-
plemented, the project was a total disaster, losing vast amounts of money (Hamrouni, W.
2017). This is just one of the many failed implementations where managers did not investigate
the company's needs enough and just looked at the competition to base their decision. There-
fore, it is also essential that once the technology is chosen and implemented, the managers
should be satisfied with it and fit the company's needs. Are managers overall happy with the
implementation of technologies within the company? This research is trying to figure out.
An entrepreneurial dimension is added by using in-house technologies rather than out-
sourced ones. Entrepreneurship is another topic that is touched upon when taking the concept
of digitalization. As entrepreneurship consists of creating, scaling, and recognizing opportuni-
ties, it fits perfectly with creating technological advantages (Prince et al., 2021). It is essential
to specify that the project (in this case, technologies) is made inside the company to fit it
within the entrepreneurship literature. Creating in-house projects makes it entrepreneurial
(Prince et al., 2021). In addition, this thesis will analyze whether these in-house created tech-
nologies are ready to be sold to potential clients outside the business. This is done by asking
managers if they are satisfied with the IT department's understanding of (potential) end cus-
tomers. By understanding customers and their needs, companies can sell their technologies
more efficiently, thus providing benefits in the form of revenue and new customers to the
company (GOV.UK, 2009). This part of the research does not only focus on how efficient or
sound the various technologies are but also brings this entrepreneurial aspect to the company.
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An aspect that might not be obvious at first glance but can significantly benefit the company.
This is because if companies see that their technologies are worth selling, they can create
more revenue streams and allow external people to access them, receiving additional feedback
as more people use their services.
Taking managers' satisfaction is a crucial indicator of whether the technologies are
performing like they should be (Weli, W. 2014). Management satisfaction can influence the
adoption and utilization of new technologies by employees. If management is satisfied with
technology, they are more likely to promote its use and encourage employees to adopt it
(Yang M et al., 2021). This currently needs to be researched more. Most existing literature
covers satisfaction but mainly focuses on employee satisfaction, which checks employees' sat-
isfaction with the job or company itself. Taking managers' satisfaction gives a clear picture to
the company if the technologies are working correctly. Therefore, as mentioned before, this
paper will determine whether managers are overall happy with the technologies adopted
within the company. Management satisfaction will be measured using a survey. This survey
asks various questions on digitalization topics like digital platforms, digital support, and out-
ward digitalization. Factors include ease of use of the technologies, training available, support
services, and the reliability and performance of such systems. All these aspects will provide
an overview of management satisfaction and their relations to digital platforms, support, and
outward digitalization.
As digitalization brings many possible technologies a company can implement to the
table (Haseeb M. et al., 2019; Yang M et al., 2021). The paper will only focus on a few tech-
nologies.
This research will thus fill the gap of the lacking management satisfaction literature
combined with a newer topic that is becoming more and more prevalent in the world we live
in today, the subject of digitalization. Not only will specific digitalization topics be analyzed
in the context of digitalization, but the technologies are chosen in such a way that they also
touch upon entrepreneurial literature. The fact that the selected technologies are made within
Equans IT (our data source) shows the company's entrepreneurial mindset.
For this research, company data will be utilized provided by Equans. More specifi-
cally, Equans It. They aim to offer employees digital platforms and technical assistance where
needed (Equans, n.d.). Equans is a worldwide service provider operating in various industries.
They have one goal, and that is: “We help clients in realizing and accelerating the three major
transitions: the energy, digital and industrial transition.” (Equans n.d.). Like most organiza-
tions, Equans has its own IT department providing its employees with the systems and tech-

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nologies needed. Furthermore, assistance is provided where required by their ServiceDesk
(equals n.d.).
Furthermore, the paper will determine if managers (specifically Equans IT) want their
internal technologies sold to end customers rather than just kept inbound to the company. This
research should thus provide a complete picture of the management's satisfaction with the ser-
vices and products supplied by Equans IT. This paper's research questions will be as follows:
Are managers at Equans overall satisfied with in-house created technologies?
Research aim
This thesis aims to determine if the managers, in this case at Equans, are satisfied with the
technologies created and implemented in-house by the IT department. Specifically, the study
aims to measure management satisfaction levels concerning different technologies. By ad-
dressing this objective, the research aims to provide insights into the satisfaction of managers
at Equans regarding in-house technologies while also contributing to the existing scarce litera-
ture in this area.

Thesis Structure
The thesis will be split up as follows. First, the paper will discuss the background literature on
various topics. The various hypotheses and conceptual models will also be discussed in this
part. Second, the methodology for the research itself will be discussed, followed by the results
of the actual study. The last part of this research will consist of a discussion and the implica-
tions of the results for the company. Followed by some limitations, possible future research
opportunities, and the conclusion.

Literature review
Digitalization has taken over the business world in the past few years. This digital way of
working facilitates data collection, analysis, and information delivery and is designed to sup-
port decision-making (Richardson & Yigitbasioglu, 2018). According to Gartner, 87% of se-
nior business leaders believe digitalization is a priority, and 91% of organizations are involved
in some digital activity. Digitalization is “the use of digital technologies to change a business
model and provide new revenue and value-producing opportunities; the process of moving to
a digital business” (Gartner Information Technology Glossary, n.d.). These opportunities need
to be understood by managers and convey these ideas to the business's employees. It is, there-
fore, crucial that managers, when implementing new technologies, understand the new sys-
tems but are also satisfied with them. Satisfaction has been studied quite thoroughly. This in-
terest peaked in 1970 when researchers created 5000 articles about the topic by the decade's
end (Glynn, 1998). This significant increase in research clearly shows the importance of satis-
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faction. Companies worldwide still use satisfaction as one of the main KPIs to measure busi-
ness performance (Suchánek & Králová, 2019). However, most of the research done is fo-
cused on customer satisfaction.
There needs to be more research done on the specific topic of management satisfac-
tion, especially in digitalization and entrepreneurship. Nevertheless, it is crucial to measure
managers' satisfaction, especially when discussing systems used within the company.
Managers are often seen as the backbone of any company. They are the people that
push the employees and, therefore, the company to achieve the necessary goals (Certo, 2000;
Torlak et al., 2021). These goals are achieved using tools and systems within the company it-
self (Certo, 2000; Daft, 2013). Furthermore, managers ensure every employee has responsibil-
ities and tasks (Dler et al., 2021). All this is made more accessible with the systems within the
company (Dler et al., 2021). Therefore, it is crucial for managers to be satisfied with these
systems. They are pleased with how the systems work, how easy they are to navigate, and
many more aspects that should be considered.
It is often said that satisfaction is one of the competitive drivers of any company
(Suchánek & Králová, 2019).
If managers disagree with the technology, it should not belong to the company. One of the
biggest threats digitalization has brought with it is the forced implementation by managers
(Deloitte, 2020).
As digitalization has been taking the business world by storm, the fear of missing out
or losing competitive advantages when not going digital is a significant threat to managers
(Deloitte, 2020). It should be sure of what technologies are needed in the company and what
not. This is also one of the main reasons why taking a management perspective is so impor-
tant. They are the ones deciding whether to implement new technology or not (Certo, 2000;
Torlak et al., 2021).
Digitalization comes in a lot of different forms. One form that companies are using a
lot is implementing digital platforms where employees can find all the data necessary to fulfill
their jobs (Deloitte, 2020). Due to the vast technological advancements, more companies are
implementing digital platforms. The main goal of a digital platform can be explained by the
following quote "Exploit and control digitized resources that reside beyond the scope of the
firm, creating value by facilitating connections across multiple sides, subject to cross-side net-
work effects" (Gawer, 2020). Even though digital platform goals will be similar in whatever
company it is implemented, the development certainly is not (Jovanic et al.). While some
businesses (such as Spotify, Netflix, Uber, and Airbnb) use digital technologies to create
multi-sided platforms, others (such as Volvo, Komatsu, and BMW) use them to collaborate

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with their customers, suppliers, technology providers, and rivals to increase the platform
value.
In the case of Equans IT and other companies, digital platforms are made in-house.
They are thus used by employees to easily retrieve information and contact the necessary part
of the company. These can include suppliers, customers, and others, just as described by Jo-
vanic et al. Each digital platform constantly evolves and gathers more data to create and cap-
ture value for members (Hou & Shi, 2020; Kretschmer et al., 2020). At Equans IT, the digital
platforms are owned and sponsored by Equans and provided for the employees to use
(Equans, n.d.). The platform sponsor has a task to maintain the platform so that the employees
using it can easily access all the data storage, data flow, data aggregation, and data commer-
cialization (Alaimo et al., 2020; Constantinides et al., 2018; Tiwana et al., 2010).
Many definitions are available within the digital platform literature; some overlap,
while others diverge (Veile et al., 2022). Even though there are so many definitions, several
common themes can still be found. Firstly, A platform consists of a technological core and its
supporting elements, which define its organizational rules, complementary actors, and inter-
faces between all parties (Baldwin & Woodard, 2009; Eisenmann et al., 2011; Evans &
Schmalensee, 2016; Gawer & Cusumano, 2002; Parker et al., 2016; Rochet & Tirole, 2003).
Secondly, the value creation on such platforms is a triangular structure connecting several ac-
tors yet still being maintained by the platform's sponsor, as discussed earlier (Veile et al.,
2022).
Furthermore, the definition used in this research looks more at how companies use
digital platforms inside the company. Therefore, the digital platform is the software and tech-
nology used to combine and streamline business operations and IT systems. A digital platform
is a company’s backbone for operations and customer engagement.
The leading benefit companies should seek when implementing a digital platform is
the “network effect” (Veile et al., 2022). A platform becomes more valuable the more users
are on it. To elaborate, more users mean more data for the company to use. The same goes for
companies that use digital platforms inside the organization. More data will be available if
more employees use the media in their day-to-day work, which can positively enhance the
company (Veile et al., 2022). Not only does the data bring many benefits, but also the struc-
ture such platforms bring with them. Having all the data stored in digital media easily accessi-
ble to all users dramatically enhances the efficiency of the entire company and the people us-
ing it (Veile et al., 2022).
Of course, it is not all positive, and risks are still associated with implementing such
digital platforms. One of the biggest problems with implementing any technology is forced

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implementation when the company has no actual use for the technology (Cazan A, 2020).
This phenomenon is called “techno addiction” (Cazan A, 2020). This occurs when a company
is far too focused on using technology. Not only excessive use but also too fixated on imple-
menting certain technologies that might have no use for the company (Salanova et al., 2013).
Therefore, digital maturity is a crucial concept managers and organizations should incorporate
in their analysis. "An organization's capability to recognize and utilize the opportunities pro-
vided by the development of digital technology, as well as the ability to carry out strategies to
execute the vision"(Larjovuori et al., 2016) is defined as "digital maturity."
As the data comes from a company that has already implemented such systems and
works with them daily, this problem is irrelevant to this research but still needs to be consid-
ered for future research.
There are various ways companies can get such digital platforms. They can either out-
source them by buying them from another company or make them inside the company so that
the platform is tailored to the business's needs (Deloitte, 2020).
A bigger picture of the entire supply chain needs to be taken to facilitate the under-
standing of these digital platforms. These digital platforms thus support the supply chain to
complete the journey for a good or service faster and more efficiently. Employees use these
digital platforms to interact, share knowledge, or find relevant information to continue their
work. This phenomenon where people are connected, and share information is also known as
"platform power" (Parker et al. 2016). The fundamental goal of such platforms is to co-create
value with a variety of players, including customers, professionals, businesses, institutions,
business partners, and more, using the platform as a hub to organize resources, transactions,
and interpersonal interactions in a central system (Ruggieri et al., 2018).
When implementing such systems, much change occurs within the company. The plat-
form must be fitted for the day-to-day business, and all the information must be central so all
employees can access it.
However, this is not the most significant challenge; this occurs when employees need to learn
how to use such technologies. Companies must support their employees by providing training
and workshops to familiarize them with the new systems.
Digital support systems, also called helpdesks, ensure that all the problems employees or
users of the technologies have been resolved and can continue their work (Power, D. 2002).
Not only do such systems ensure the employees are assisted whenever a problem occurs, but
these systems also help managers in decision-making (Power, D. 2002). Therefore, nowadays,
this digital support is a necessity and an opportunity to reach a competitive advantage in the
digital world (Power, D. 2002).

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 In the case of Equans, they aid in two ways. Either people can call their service desk
with questions that can be solved, or they send technicians for the problem to be fixed
(Equans, n.d.). Either way, the employees must use the ServiceDesk to log their problems in
the system. This type of assistance ensures that employees with problems quickly have a way
to solve their problems to continue their work.
From password resets to changing real hardware, the service desk of Equans is ready
for any employee problem (Equans n.d.). Helpdesks such as the service desk at Equans are
crucial, especially when implementing technologies that would change how the business oper-
ates. Helpdesks is a service providing information and support to computer users, especially
within a company (Oxford Languages n.d.).
Many changes must happen when implementing a more digital approach, especially
regarding employees. Digitalization affects not just corporate performance and worker pro-
ductivity but also job happiness, work/life balance, worker autonomy, and monitoring across
hierarchical levels. Therefore, support systems are crucial to ease these organizational
changes (Korunka & Vartiainen, 2017).
A further reason why digital support is so essential for organizations is that it dramati-
cally increases (together with the use of digitalization) information flow in the supply chain
(Barrett et al., 2015). With support systems in place, companies ensure that the information
flow is working efficiently, and that people understand the various technologies within the
company (Dong et al., 2019; Grover & Kohli, 2012; Rai et al., 2012). The literature on this
topic is quite scarce too. Very little literature focuses on the specific digital support companies
provide their employees, yet it is still so important to have it in place. With technological ad-
vancements or companies focusing on becoming more digital, employees must understand
and use these correctly (Cazan, 2020). This is where digital support comes into place. Compa-
nies should make sure such support systems are in place and work perfectly.
The digital market has changed a lot since the beginning as well. In the beginning,
companies focused hard on providing various types of technology. However, the shift is now
toward digital services (Barrett et al., 2015). This includes providing services to help people
with issues or needing more guidance with technological changes. This is thus also applicable
to Equans, where they provide a whole department to aid their employees in solving problems
ranging from very simple to complex issues (Equans, n.d.).
Retaking the management perspective gives a good indication that such systems work
correctly. Again, managers should be satisfied with the support systems that help the employ-
ees. If managers are not satisfied with them, then the support systems may not work as ex-
pected.

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 More and more companies are implementing entrepreneurial mindsets. As already
mentioned before, companies can acquire technologies in two main ways. Buy it from an ex-
ternal provider or develop it within the company itself. In the case of Equans, they created
systems for their employees to use (Equans, n.d.).
With the creation of in-house technologies, the question might arise whether companies want
to sell their systems to external parties (customers or other companies). This is the same at
Equans. Outward digitalization seeks to determine if companies that create their own systems
in-house are willing and ready to sell their systems externally. If no valuable information is
shared, this is fine. If companies know their technologies are sellable, they could create a
dupe of the original and sell that one not to lose valuable information. More elaborately, see if
the technologies used within the company by employees are sellable to customers outside the
business or even other organizations (Equans, n.d.). This would allow Equans to act as a ser-
vice provider, gain new customers, and, more importantly, more income.
Selling technologies or systems from within a company to the outside is also called
"system selling" (Mattsson L., 1973). Even though the concept of system selling has been in
place for quite some time now, the system has evolved and changed radically with various
technological advancements. System selling is beneficial for the company selling but also for
the outsider. When implementing this strategy, the buyer can demand a more custom system.
However, the seller benefits from this strategy by gaining new long-term customers (Mattsson
L., 1973). To elaborate, the seller will sell the system, and the customer will need assistance to
make it fit their organization. This allows the selling company to provide paid services to sup-
port the customer, therefore, gaining long-term money flow through assistance (Mattsson L.
1973).
Not only would Equans (or any other company with technologies available to sell) en-
gage in B2C (business to consumer), but they would highly engage in B2B (business to busi-
ness). The B2B market has changed significantly since the global Covid pandemic (Rangara-
jan D. et al. 2021). The covid pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation, providing
significant opportunities for B2B, where companies sell their technological systems to each
other to implement them (Rangarajan D. et al. 2021). Due to this pandemic, companies had to
learn to react quickly and be flexible (Rangarajan D. et al. 2021). This is also shown in the
B2B market. Companies are looking for quick and flexible implementation of technologies.
This is made far easier if companies can buy technologies from another organization and im-
plement it in theirs (Rangarajan D. et al. 2021).
Not only does selling technologies to other companies increase the cash flow and,
therefore, the profit of the company, but mistakes in technology can be reduced even further.

1
0
If more people use the same technology, more people can notice the errors. This benefits the
selling company by using customers’ feedback to solve the issues and improve the technolo-
gies. As can be seen, it is a win-win situation for both sides. The buyer can quickly imple-
ment, and the seller gets constant cash flow plus additional feedback to "upgrade" the tech-
nologies (Rangarajan D. et al. 2021).
It is again important to consider managers' opinions as they are the ones who need to
approve if the systems are ready to be sold externally. When the management team demon-
strates satisfaction with the technologies developed within the company, it conveys a strong
message about those solutions' quality, reliability, and effectiveness (Leonard-Barton, 1995).
This positive perception can significantly influence external stakeholders' decision-making,
leading to increased interest and higher adoption rates. To measure whether the technologies
are ready to be sold externally, management satisfaction is taken regarding the customer un-
derstanding of the company. Companies will sell more if they understand their end customers
and can answer their needs (GOV.UK, 2009). By combining customer understanding with the
in-house created technologies and looking to see if managers are overall satisfied with both,
the company can conclude to sell their technologies externally.
The study's relevance lies in its potential to address the satisfaction of managers at
Equans with the digital platforms, digital support, and outward digitalization implemented in-
house by the IT department. This research provides valuable insights for organizational deci-
sion-making and resource allocation related to digital transformation initiatives by assessing
their overall satisfaction and measuring it across different technology areas.
In the current digital era, it is essential to understand how managers feel about digital
platforms. Equans can assess the efficacy and influence of these platforms on numerous orga-
nizational elements thanks to this. There is a lot of literature available about digital platforms.
However, as there are various types and usages of these platforms, there is also a lot of differ-
ent literature.
Furthermore, literature on the support companies need to give their employees in the
digital era needs more attention. Various concepts are used in literature, but management sat-
isfaction is not considered. By gauging managers' satisfaction with these support services,
Equans can identify gaps or areas for improvement, enhancing the IT department's ability to
provide efficient and practical support. This, in turn, ensures a seamless digital experience for
managers and minimizes disruptions caused by technical issues.
In addition, the analysis of outward digitalization focuses on evaluating the viability
and potential of selling Equans' in-house developed systems to external customers or clients.
This aspect is essential for Equans (and other companies) as it can generate potential business

1
1
growth and revenue. This is done by analyzing the IT department's management satisfaction
with customer understanding and the various technologies. This allows for insights into
whether they are ready to sell the technologies externally. Equans can strategically position it-
self as a provider of innovative and valuable technological solutions beyond its internal opera-
tions if proven to be.
Not only does this research fill the various gaps mentioned above, but it also provides
highly relevant insights into Equans and potentially other companies. Furthermore, the litera-
ture covers two broad economic topics. One is the supply chain and how digitalization affects
this. Secondly, it adds to entrepreneurial literature by analyzing the in-house created technolo-
gies and analyzing the potential to sell them externally. These aspects show businesses' entre-
preneurial mindset and how beneficial this can be.

Hypothesis development
Now that all the variables have been discussed and shown to be highly important, several hy-
potheses need to be constructed to conduct this research. As this research conducts three linear
regressions, one for each variable and multiple regression, four hypotheses must be con-
structed.
In the instance of the dependent variable, management satisfaction, establishing an alternative
hypothesis is crucial because it enables us to assess whether the independent variables (digital
platforms, digital support, and external digitalization) significantly correlate with management
satisfaction.
Then, we may apply statistical tests to assess the probability that the null hypothesis would
lead to the observed results.
The hypotheses linked to the independent variables are set up to check the relationship
to the dependent variable. In other words, the hypotheses check if the relationship is signifi-
cantly positive. Therefore, the following hypotheses are set up for this research:

H1: There is no significant positive relationship between the use of digital platforms
and management satisfaction.
H2: There is no significant positive relationship between the availability of digital
support and management satisfaction.
H3: There is no significant positive relationship between outward digitalization and
management satisfaction.

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Variables Introduction and Conceptual Framework

This section of the paper will discuss the various variables and how they relate. The various
linked hypotheses will be discussed once all the variables have been introduced. This thesis's
primary model will consist of three independent and one dependent variable. Each variable
will be linked to its hypothesis to be tested regarding the paper's research question. This paper
focuses on digitalization and entrepreneurship, so the technologies chosen must be made in-
house (Prince et al., 2021).
Furthermore, as there is company-specific data, the technologies must be selected; ac-
cordingly, one accurate technology and one service are chosen. The technology chosen and,
therefore, the first independent variable is a digital platform(s). Here the digital platforms by
Equans are checked to see if they positively impact their relationship with management satis-
faction.
The following variable that will be discussed is digital assistance. Here the goal is to
analyze if the ServiceDesk of Equans provides enough assistance to its employees for man-
agement to be satisfied.
The last independent variable used in this research will be outward digitalization. The
analysis tries to determine if the various technologies provided by the IT department are ready
to be sold externally, creating more growth and revenue potential for Equans. As mentioned
above, this is done by looking to see if Equans IT understands their end customer's demands
to provide them with their in-house created technologies. If found to be accurate, then Equans
can sell externally.
All these independent variables are expected to have some effect on management sat-
isfaction which is the dependent variable completing the framework of this paper.
To better understand this research, visual representation is needed. The model is read
from left to right, illustrating several relationships between the independent and dependent
variables. Therefore, the left side of the model is independent of their direct relation to the
right side of the model where the dependent variable is depicted. This research only consists
of independent and dependent variables, but the relationships shown are direct effects. Not
only will every individual relationship from the independent variables to the dependent vari-
able be tested, but the relationship between the combined independent variables and the de-
pendent variable will also be measured. Testing individual and combined relationships will
provide a fuller picture of how management satisfaction is affected by digital platforms, digi-
tal support, and outward digitalization.

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Fig 1: Conceptual Framework

Methodology
Now that all the variables have been discussed and shown to be relevant to this topic, the
methodology must be addressed. This research uses quantitative data only in the form of a
survey. Here the focus is put on the data and analysis method used for this research. This part
will be split into various subparts to make understanding every aspect of the methodology
easier. Firstly, the data will be discussed. This includes the data collection, sampling selection,
and the survey. Secondly, the method of analysis used for the data will be addressed. Thirdly,
this part will tap into ethical considerations when conducting this research. Lastly, the data is
checked in various ways. In this last part, various tests like reliability analysis, correlation,
and assumptions testing will be used to check if the data is useable for the chosen analytical
tests but also the reliability of the dataset. The reliability and correlation test will have their
parts, while the assumptions will each be discussed separately.
Data Collection
A survey was sent out to 150 managers at Equans to collect the data. The participants had to
answer the questions using a 7-point Likert scale. Surveys are a vital way of finding out opin-
ions. For this questionnaire, a 7-point Likert scale has been chosen to eliminate specific issues
a 5-point scale may have (Joshi A. 2015 et al.).

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 Using the Likert scale allows for quantitative assessment. This allows participants to
express their opinions and satisfaction level on a numerical scale. Additionally, systematic,
and uniform data collecting which allows for statistical analysis and comparison between re-
spondents is promoted. Furthermore, the Likert scale provides various options to participants
to express their opinion even nuanced input is allowed. Varied levels of agreement, disagree-
ment, or pleasure, allowing greater accuracy in interpreting respondents' viewpoints (Joshi A.
2015 et al.). The Likert scale is widely used in research when dealing with surveys. The data
is easy to interpret for anyone. Its simplicity serves to reduce responder misunderstanding and
the risk of measurement mistakes. Additionally having and equal balance of negative and pos-
itive answer possibilities with one neutral point helps in reducing response biases and allows
participants to consider both positive and negative aspects when asked about their satisfaction
(Preston CC, Colman AM 2000).
Using a uniform Likert scale across questions allows for comparative analysis across
various independent variables. Researchers can easily compare and examine different ele-
ments' relative relevance and impact on management satisfaction.
Finally, the use of Likert scales enhances consistency and comparability between in-
vestigations. Researchers can draw on existing literature and established standards that use
comparable scales, boosting the generalizability and cumulative knowledge of the study sub-
ject (Preston CC, Colman AM 2000).
Therefore, using a 7-point Likert scale is optimal for this research as it provides the
correct number of options for participants while giving enough insights. This allows for a reli-
able and effective manner to analyze data and reach meaningful interpretations for the best re-
sults.
Sampling Selection
As this study tests how well digitalization works within an organization, it is crucial to use IT-
related information. This is precisely why Equans IT has been chosen to provide technologies
and digital services.
This paper determines if the managers of Equans are overall satisfied with the digital
solutions Equans IT provides them with. The questionnaire has been sent out to the top 150
managers. This sample is precious as it will give the perfect insights into how managers at
Equans feel like the IT department supports the business.
Of the 150 managers, 56 have responded, giving enough usable responses. This repre-
sents a 37% response rate, significantly higher than the 20% benchmark rate for organiza-
tional surveys (Chou T. et al., 2005). Only responses with complete survey answers have been
taken to avoid errors in the analysis.

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Survey
This methodology section depicts the survey sent out to the managers. It is essential to show
the survey so that the nature of the questions is understood. Usually, surveys should be taken
anonymously. However, Equans wanted to know what each manager filled in in this case. For
the actual analysis of this thesis, the participants will remain anonymous, thus only allowing
Equans to know the exact names.
As various variables are used within this research, each has specific questions in this
survey.
The survey consisted of 21 items, all aimed at examining the relationship between the depen-
dent variable of management satisfaction and the three independent variables of digital plat-
forms, digital assistance, and external digitalization. Specifically, nine items were used to
evaluate management satisfaction, while 3, 3, and 4 questions were used for digital platforms,
digital support, and outward digitalization, respectively. The questions were crafted with great
care to ensure they would provide an accurate and thorough assessment of the participants'
thoughts and experiences in the domains.
Table 1 shows the various variables with their respective survey questions. The entire
survey can be found at the end of this thesis under Appendix A.
Variables Questions
Management Satisfaction 9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 & 17
Digital Platforms 4,5 & 8
Digital Support 3,6 & 7
Outward Digitalization 18,19,20 & 21
Table 1: Survey questions allocation

As the survey uses a 7-point Likert scale to measure the various questionnaire entries,
the averages and standard deviations of each variable and their corresponding questions are
depicted in Table 2. The averages are also used when conducting various regression analyses.

Variables Averages Standard Deviation

Management Satisfaction 4.60 0.77
Digital Platforms 4.60 0.83
Digital Support 4.67 0.73
Outward Digitalization 4.03 0.81
Table 2: Averages and Standard Deviations survey questions

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Data analysis techniques
The regression analysis is employed to significantly predict management satisfaction based on
digital platforms, digital support, and outward digitalization. Initially, simple linear regression
was employed to predict the management satisfaction for each predictor individually, fol-
lowed by multiple regression analysis to predict the management satisfaction by using all pre-
dictors altogether.
Multiple linear regression analysis would be an appropriate data analysis technique for
this study. Multiple linear regression analysis is a statistical approach for examining the con-
nection between a dependent variable and many independent factors (Flora, D. 2018).
Multiple linear regression analysis would enable us to evaluate the extent to which the
independent factors influence managerial satisfaction and the direction and intensity of these
connections (Flora, D. 2018; Field, A. 2017). It would also allow us to analyze the relative rel-
evance of each independent variable in predicting management satisfaction and establish
whether any of the independent factors had a substantial influence on management satisfac-
tion after adjusting for the other variables.
Before doing any regression analysis, it is critical to verify assumptions such as linear-
ity, normality, homoscedasticity, and error independence (Field, A. 2017). Suitable transfor-
mations or other analyses may be necessary if the premises are unsatisfied.
In addition, the relationship of each independent variable to the dependent variable
will be measured. This will be done using linear regression for every variable. This will also
allow insights into individual relationships (Flora, D. 2018). Allowing for a more detailed ex-
amination of the impact of each independent variable on management satisfaction without the
influence of other variables.
Using multiple and independent linear regression analyses in the same study has vari-
ous advantages. It enables an extensive examination of the correlations between the indepen-
dent factors and the dependent variable, capturing both the combined and individual impacts
(Flora, D. 2018; Field, A. 2017). This method helps understand each variable's distinct contri-
butions and importance. By combining these two analysis methodologies, researchers can ac-
quire a more comprehensive grasp of the elements impacting the outcome of interest.
As discussed in the previous section, each question is linked to the variables discussed.
Therefore, each variable is explained by specific questions in the survey itself. Using a 7-
point Likert scale, the outcomes from each question ranged from 1-7. Once all the responses
are collected, the average of the different questions making up specific variables is taken, and
the regression is conducted. Taking the average is a common practice when dealing with a

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Likert scale. It simplifies the data by allowing multiple values to become one single value
which is then interpreted (Joshi A. 2015 et al.). Furthermore, it allows us to compare each par-
ticipant by comparing the means to each other.
While many studies argue that taking the average of a Likert scale is wrong, it still is
beneficial. These studies argue that you cannot take the average of a Likert scale as it is im-
possible to take the average of, for example, strongly agree and disagree (Sullivan, G. M., &
Artino, A. R. Jr. 2013). However, when taking the average, it is not the average between, as in
the example, strongly agree and disagree, but rather the mean score on the Likert scale. This
means it is indeed helpful to use the average scores.

Control Variables
In this study, three different control variables have been used to make sure that the dependent
variable, management satisfaction, is only affected by the three independent variables used in
this study (digital platforms, digital support, and outward digitalization) (Nielsen, B. B., &
Raswant, A. 2018). The three control variables used are age, gender, and time at the company
(Bernerth, J. B., & Aguinis, H. 2015). In organizational research, these three variables are one
of the most common once used as they are also the ones that are easily shareable (Bernerth, J.
B., & Aguinis, H. 2015). Age and time at the company are both continuous variables repre-
senting numerical values of a person's age and the time they spent at the company (in this
case, Equans), respectively. Age is a different variable as there are only two options, male or
female. A dummy variable is a binary variable that takes on the value of 0 or 1 to represent
different categories or groups (Sharpe, N. et al., 2014). Therefore, a dummy variable is intro-
duced for age where 1 represents female and 0 male.
The reasoning behind choosing these variables specifically is obvious. Age is taken as
in every company there are young employees and older. Both have different visions and ex-
pectations, especially when it comes to digitalization. Therefore, introducing this first control
variable accounts for this issue.
For gender, another logical explanation, men, and women may experience differing ef-
fects of gender-related elements on management satisfaction, such as societal standards, com-
munication methods, or workplace dynamics. Using gender as a control variable, one can
evaluate the effects of digital elements on management satisfaction while accounting for gen-
der-based disparities. Lastly, the use of time at the company can also be justified.
The length of a person's employment may impact their satisfaction with digital plat-
forms, digital assistance, and external digitalization when time spent at the organization is in-
cluded as a control variable. Their length of stay may impact a manager's level of happiness

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since it may indicate a more profound knowledge of the business's operations, culture, and
management techniques.
Overall, these control variables should help isolate the effects of the independent vari-
ables on the dependent variables by accounting for other potential factors that could affect
management satisfaction. Using these control variables allows a more accurate analysis of
how the independent variables affect management satisfaction while removing potential con-
fusion or alternative explanations (Nielsen, B. B., & Raswant, A. 2018).

Ethical considerations
The survey has been set up so that only the managers of Equans get it. This allows us to keep
the research internal and, therefore, valuable to Equans. As the survey was sent to the man-
agers measuring their satisfaction with the IT department, it was not anonymous. To keep the
privacy of every individual, manager names will not be used in the research itself.
In addition, there is a minimal amount of people that know about this research and sur-
vey. This is also done to keep the data and privacy safe. Limiting access to a select few mini-
mizes the risk of unauthorized access or data breaches, strengthening the overall protection of
the collected information.
This research aims to determine if managers are overall satisfied with the technologies
the IT department provides. Therefore, having any names or other aspects that could identify
the participants in this research is unnecessary. Removing it does not take away any results
yet keeps privacy intact.

Reliability Analysis:
Reliability measures the internal consistency of the constructs used in the research. Cron-
bach's alpha will be used to test the reliability of the data. A construct is reliable if the ob-
tained Cronbach alpha (α) value is more than 0.7 (M. Tavakol and R. Dennick, 2011). Starting
with the dependent variable, management, satisfaction consists of 9 items to measure it. Man-
agement satisfaction has a Cronbach's alpha of 0.856. The dependent variables are also mea-
sured using Cronbach’s alpha. Their corresponding values are the digital platforms scale with
three items (α= 0.734), the digital support scale with three things (α= 0.702), and the outward
digitalization scale with four items (α= 0.706). All the results lie above the 0.7 benchmarks
meaning the data is reliable based on this test (M. Tavakol and R. Dennick, 2011; Cortina J.
1983). Find the results in Table 3:
S. Constructs No. of Items Cronbach's alpha ( α
No. )

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9
 1 Management satisfaction 9 0.856
2 Digital platforms 3 0.734
3 Digital support 3 0.702
4 Outward digitalization 4 0.706
Table 3: Results of Cronbach alpha analysis

Correlation analysis
A correlation test is a statistical tool for determining the strength (low, medium, or high) and
direction (positive or negative) of a relationship between two numerical variables (Ratner, B.
2009). By conducting correlation analysis, researchers can gain initial insights into the data
and identify potential relationships between variables. Since the obtained data is ordinal (7-
point Likert scale), a non-parametric test, namely the Spearman correlation test, is utilized to
assess the strength and direction of the association (Likert, R. 1932).
To perform this test, a significant level of α=0.05 is used. The independent variable of
management satisfaction is used as a base, and the independent variables measure the correla-
tion between both. Each variable has its correlation analysis. The analysis is then conducted in
SPSS and can be read in Table 4.

Managem Digital Digita Outward

ent platfor l digitalizati
satisfactio ms suppor on
n t
Management satisfaction 1.000 0.405 0.430 0.627
Sig. (2-tailed) 0.002* 0.000
  0.000**
* **

Digital platforms 0.405 1.000 0.542 0.231

Sig. (2-tailed) 0.000
0.002**   0.087
**

Digital support
0.430 0.542 1.000
0.294
Sig. (2-tailed) 0.000*
0.000**   0.028*
*

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0
 Outward digitalization 0.627 0.231 0.294 1.000
Sig. (2-tailed) 0.000** 0.087 0.028  
Table 4: Output of correlation test

The Spearman correlation coefficient between management satisfaction and digital platforms
is r=0.405. The correlation coefficient depicts a moderate positive relationship between the
variables (Ratner, B. 2009).
The Spearman correlation coefficient between management satisfaction and digital
support is r=0.430. The correlation coefficient depicts a weak positive relationship between
the variables.
The Spearman correlation coefficient between management satisfaction and outward
digitalization is r=0.627. The correlation coefficient depicts a robust positive relationship be-
tween the variables.
The different variables depict a moderate correlation between them, indicating they
would move moderately positively together. This suggests that some type of relationship is
present, which will be further investigated in the regression analysis (Sharpe N. et al., 2014).
Assumptions
Before providing the results, checking if the various statistical assumptions are met is essen-
tial (Sharpe N. et al., 2014). These assumptions serve as fundamental prerequisites for many
statistical tests and models. If the premises are not met, the data might still give good results,
but it will not be reliable or valid, meaning it cannot be used. Various assumptions will be
used within this research to check the data. Each assumption test will have its paragraph to
discuss its results respectively.
Assumption 1: Linearity Assumption

The scatterplots in Figure 2 a-c are used to test this assumption. Scatterplots visually evaluate
data and are frequently used to verify the linearity of relationships between dependent and in-
dependent variables. The y-axis represents management satisfaction (the dependent variable),
whereas the x-axis represents digital platforms, digital support, and outward digitalization (the
independent variables) (Sharpe N. et al., 2014). The graphs show a linear connection between
the dependent and independent variables.

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 Figure 2 a: Scatter plot of management satisfaction and digital platforms

Figure 2 b: Scatter plot of management satisfaction and digital support

Figure 2 c: Scatter plot of management satisfaction and outward digitalization

Assumption 2: Multivariate normality

The multivariate normality checks if the data follows a normal distribution. This is checked
using the Shapiro-Wilk test (Table 5) and plotting histograms (Figure 3) for graphical evalua-
tion. The histograms show a normal distribution, and the Shapiro-Wilk normality test results
are insignificant, i.e., 0.393 > 0.05, thus confirming that data satisfy the normality assumption
(Mishra P. 2019).
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 Figure 3: Histogram

Variable Shapiro-will: statistic Shapiro-will: df Sig.

Management satisfaction 0.978 56 0.393
Table 5: Results of the Shapiro-Wilk test

Assumption 3: No multicollinearity
The VIF test results are shown in Table 6. Many researchers consider a VIF > 10 as an
indicator of multicollinearity. It is found that there is no VIF value above 10, i.e., VIF values
for all variables are lower than 3, which is very good (Shrestha, N. 2020). This depicts that
predictor variables independently influence the dependent variable and have no multi-
collinearity problem. Furthermore, checking the correlation table (table 4) also underlines no
real multicollinearity. The only variable close to the benchmark of 1 is the relationship be-
tween management satisfaction and outward digitalization, with a correlation coefficient of
0.736. This is still below the benchmark of 1, so it still is acceptable. The outcomes of the VIF
test can be found in Table 6.
Variable VIF
Digital platforms 1.578
Digital support 1.507
Outward digitalization 1.173
Age 1,112
Years at company 1,104
Gender 1,119
Table 6: Variance inflation factor

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3
Assumption 4: Homoscedasticity
If this assumption is violated, the regression might provide a biased or inaccurate estimate of
the regression, which could be better. The Cooks distance has been applied to measure this as-
sumption, and a visual representation using a scatterplot. Cook's distance is a measure used to
detect influential observations that may significantly impact the assumption of equal variance
in a regression model (Hickey, G. L. 2019).
The scatter plots are plotted by taking regression standardized residuals and regres-
sion standardized predicted values for the dependent and independent variables on the y-axis
and x-axis, respectively, as shown in Figure 4.
A good balance of data points above and below the center line is drawn at zero, depict-
ing that the variance is constant. The obtained Cook's distance values are all below 1, which is
good (Table 7) (Hickey, G. L. 2019). It means no highly significant data points (influential
outliers) or observations in our data set that adversely affect the results.

Dependent variable Standardized Residual Cook’s Distance

Min Max Min Max
Management satisfaction - 2.146 3.367 0.000 0.515
Table 7: Results of Cook’s distance test

Figure 4: Scatter plot of residuals

Results
The regression analysis is employed to significantly predict management satisfaction based on
digital platforms, digital support, and outward digitalization. Initially, simple linear regression
was used to predict the management satisfaction for each predictor individually, followed by
multiple regression analysis to predict the management satisfaction by employing all predic-
tors altogether.
The analysis was conducted at a significance level of α
¿
0.05
. The significance crite-

rion for a factor is set by relation, p

¿

α
, i.e., if obtained probability ( ρ ) is less than the signifi-

2
4
cance level ( α ), the predictor will be declared as significant, else insignificant (Qazi, M. et al.

2021).
As mentioned in an earlier section, age, years at the company, and gender are taken as
control variables in the multiple and linear regressions. The age and years at the company are
at continuous scales, while gender is a categorical variable. The gender is transformed into a
numeric using dummy coding. 1 Represents females, and 0 represents males.
The different models' results are depicted in one table with only the relevant informa-
tion. This is done to provide the reader with only crucial information and thus give a concise
overview of all the results. Table 8 shows the three linear regression outputs and the multiple
regression output.

Variable Model 1 Model 2 Model 3 Model 4

0.009 0.008 0.006 0.010
Age
(0.014) (0.014) (0.011) (0.011)
-0.004 -0.002 -0.006 -0.007
Years at company
(0.012) (0.012) (0.010) (0.009)
0.496 0.595 0.232 0.152
Gender (F) (Dummy)
(0.391) (0.381) (0.320) (0.314)
Digital platform 0.336** - - 0.112
(0.123) (0.116)
Digital support - 0.393** - 0.171
(0.135) (0.129)
Outward Digitaliza- - - 0.626*** 0.556***
tion (0.102) (0.103)
Constant 2.622** 2.365* 1.823* 0.600
(0.960) (0.992) (0.705) (0.861)
R2 0,181 0,195 0,460 0,514
Adjusted R2 0.117 0.131 0.418 0.455
Table 8: Regression outputs
Linear Regression Results
In this part of the Results, the linear regression will be discussed. The simple linear re-
gression analysis generated regression equations that depict the personal effects of digital plat-
forms, digital support, and outward digitalization (predictors) on management satisfaction
(dependent variable). Therefore, each linear regression will have its subpart.

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Management satisfaction and digital platforms (Model 1)
The statistical results of simple regression analysis between digital platforms and management
satisfaction are depicted in Table 8
The predicted regression equation is:
Management satisfaction = 2.622 + 0.336 * digital platform + 0.009 *age - 0.004 * years at
company + 0.496 * gender

The regression results in Table 8 (model 1) depict that the digital platforms explained 18,1 %
of the variance (F(4,51)= 2.827, p=0.034, R2=0.181). The results revealed that the regression
model is significant because the p-value of the model is less than the significance level, i.e.,
0.034 < 0.05. Further, digital platforms were also found to be a significant predictor. There-
fore, the null hypothesis is rejected (H1). The regression coefficient ( β
¿
0.336
depicts that
¿

one unit rise in the digital platforms will result in a 0.336 unit increase in management satis-
faction.
Management satisfaction and digital support (Model 2)
The statistical results of simple regression analysis between digital support and management
satisfaction are depicted in Tables 8
The predicted regression equation is:
Management satisfaction = 2.365 + 0.393 * Digital support + 0.008 *age - 0.002 * years at
company + 0.595 * gender

The regression results in Table 8 depict that the digital support explained 19,5% of the vari-
ance (F (4,51) = 3.079, p=0.024, R2=0.195). The results revealed that the regression model
was insignificant, as the p-value of the model is more significant than the significance level,
i.e., 0.024 > 0.05. Further, digital support was found to be a significant predictor. Therefore,
the null hypothesis is rejected (H2). The control variables are found to be insignificant. The
regression coefficient ( β
¿
0. 393
depicts that one unit rise in the digital platforms will result
¿

in a 0.393 unit increase in management satisfaction.

Management satisfaction and outward digitalization (Model 3)
The statistical results of simple regression analysis between digital support and management
satisfaction are depicted in Table 8.
The predicted regression equation is:
Management satisfaction = 1.823 + 0.626 * Outward digitalization + 0.006 *age - 0.007 *
years at company + 0.232 * gender

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The regression results in Table 14 depict that outward digitalization explained 46% of the
variance (F (4,51) = 10.875, p=0.000, R2=0.460). The results revealed that the regression
model is significant because the p-value of the model is less than the significance level, i.e.,
0.000 < 0.05. Further, outward digitalization was also found to be a significant predictor.
Therefore, the null hypothesis is rejected (H3). The regression coefficient ( β
¿
0.626
depicts
¿

that one unit rise in outward digitalization will result in a 0.626 unit increase management sat-
isfaction.
Multiple Regression Analysis (Model 4)
The results will end with multiple regression. The multiple regression analysis generated a re-
gression equation that depicts the combined effect of digital platforms, digital support, and
outward digitalization (predictors) on management satisfaction (dependent variable). There-
fore, there will only be one analysis within this specific part.
Statistical test:
The regression analysis was conducted at a significance level of α
¿
0.05
.

The predicted regression equation is:

Management satisfaction = 0.6 + 0.112* Digital platforms + 0.171 * Digital support + 0.556 *
Outward digitalization + 0.01 * Age – 0.007 * Years at company + 0.152 * Gender (Female)
Interpretation of results Multiple Regression:
The regression results indicated that the three predictors in management satisfaction explained
51.4 % of the variation (F (6,49) = 8.64, p=0.000, R-sq=0.514). The output shown in Table 8
(model 4) depicts that the model is a significant predictor of management satisfaction, as the
p-value of the model is less than the significance level, i.e., 0.00 < 0.05, and the null hypothe-
sis is rejected. The regression coefficients depicted in Table 8 (model 4) show that only one of
the predictors is significant. Meaning only outward digitalization has a meaningful relation-
ship with management satisfaction. The other two variables must be explored further to check
why they did not provide a significant relationship. Therefore, for this model, only outward
digitalization shows a relationship to management satisfaction when combining all the vari-
ables. The regression coefficient of outward digitalization (β_3=0.556) can be explained as
one unit rises in outward digitalization, resulting in a 0.556 unit rise in management satisfac-
tion. Here again, all the control variables are shown to be insignificant.
An interesting finding is that in linear regression, all variables are significant. While
multiple regression only gives one significant predictor (outward digitalization). In theory,
this can be due to multicollinearity (Sharpe N. et al., 2014). However, as seen from the VIF
test in Table 6, this is different here. An additional reason this might be the case is that the
sample of participants was only 56 (Sharpe N. et al., 2014). With a more significant sample,
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the model might have looked different. However, most likely, the suppression effect occurred
when combing all the variables together. This might have occurred when combining all the
variables where outward digitalization suppressed the other variables, making them insignifi-
cant (Friedman & Wall 2012). Therefore, the robustness of this test could be better and should
be further analyzed in future research.

Discussion
The main goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between management
satisfaction and in-house created digital aspects consisting of digital platforms, digital sup-
port, and outward digitalization at the company Equans. The main research question used to
check for this relationship was as follows: Are managers at Equans overall satisfied with in-
house created technologies? To fully answer this question, every output must be checked. The
outcomes of the linear regressions will be discussed, and a managerial recommendation will
be provided for each variable. Multiple regression will be used as a robustness test in this re-
search discussed in the previous section.
The linear regression between digital platforms and management satisfaction has
proven significant and positive. This would suggest that digital platforms do increase manage-
ment satisfaction at Equans. Furthermore, managers at Equans find that digital platforms are
an effective tool in the company and provide a positive user experience. These results are not
surprising as these digital platforms are the core of Equans (Equans n.d.). It underlines the im-
portance that digital platforms have in the company.
Furthermore, it shows managers how important it is to invest in well-designed and ef-
ficient digital platforms to enhance management satisfaction. Providing user-friendly inter-
faces, streamlined processes, and valuable features can contribute to a positive experience for
managers, leading to higher satisfaction levels in their work and overall organizational pro-
cesses. Organizations that prioritize developing and maintaining digital platforms are more
likely to create an environment where management feels supported and empowered to per-
form their duties effectively but can further project this to their employees.
Various literature supports these findings while adding new findings applicable to this
study. The European Commission underlines the importance such digital platforms bring to
companies. The interaction and knowledge sharing on these platforms are essential to any
business. Digital platforms help employees become more efficient in their work (EU Commis-
sion, 2021). Further studies underline this benefit too. Digital platforms allow employees to
co-create with other users. This is because digital platforms are a central system connecting
and sharing information with those who need it (Ruggieri R. et al., 2018). In addition, the net-
work effect is created using digital platforms, which benefits the company yet again. Every
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new user on a platform creates additional value for every other user (Ruggieri R. et al., 2018).
High scalability is another found benefit of digital platforms. It refers to the capacity to en-
hance the capabilities and performance of a business promptly, affordably, and without diffi-
culty (Nambisan, 2017).
Applying this to this study and combining them would suggest that managers invest in
digital platforms as it increases the efficiency in work and improves the supply chain perform-
ance. Not only do digital platforms increase management satisfaction, but they also improve
the overall business and its performance (Shen & Sun, 2021). Overall, digital platforms in-
deed increase managers' satisfaction, and they should be implemented in any business if the
correct platform is implemented. Therefore, Equans managers are more satisfied when using
the digital platforms provided to them by the Its department rejecting H1. This outcome bene-
fits Equans (or other companies) as it can help managers in their digital transformation path.
They are proving the importance again of digital platforms.
The second linear regression tested the relationship between management satisfaction
and digital support. This regression was also shown to be significant. This means that digital
support does indeed increase management satisfaction. This is not surprising as employees
and managers will always have problems with systems and technologies, which can be mini-
mized by using digital support in the form of, for example, a help desk or training opportuni-
ties. Managers should consider implementing such support systems in the company as not
only does it help them and their employees out with some technical issues and makes the
company an efficient problem-solving department so that the work can always continue. It is
also essential to provide feedback to the IT department to know where the support systems are
lacking and what is good about them. Clear input is provided with feedback and can be ap-
plied to the existing systems.
To back up the points mentioned earlier, some literature has also received similar re-
sults. Ramirez Molina et al. suggested that putting specific support systems in place helps the
company to bring its digital journey to a successful end. This is in line with the results of this
research found. They add that it even accelerates a company's digital transformation when im-
plemented correctly, as it supports the entire company (Ramirez Molina et al., 2023). Another
literature added that digital support systems benefited the company significantly because they
helped make the correct decisions and, therefore, reduced costs (Demirkan & Delen, 2013). In
addition to digital support systems, workforces need to be trained and updated regularly to
keep up with the ever-changing digital era. Kane et al. underline how necessary training the
workforce is to a company that engages in digital transformation (Kane et al., 2015).

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 As proven by the research in this study with the additions of other literature, the im-
portance of having some digital support system in the company is crucial in our digital world.
Having a help desk in place, just like the service desk by Equans, is one of the easiest ways to
support and solve any related questions to technologies that managers and employees have.
Managers should also implement training for anyone who needs to use the technologies regu-
larly. Furthermore, managers should provide feedback regularly to their IT department to
identify areas for improvement and help refine the support systems. Feedback is one of the
most effective ways of learning and should be implemented in all businesses (Hattie & Tim-
perley). All these combined would again increase management satisfaction, as demonstrated
by model 2, underlining this crucial aspect.
The last linear regression tested the relationship between outward digitalization and
management satisfaction. This relationship has also proven significant and provided the best
overall results. These results underline that Equan IT understands the demands of their end
customers, and the technologies are ready to be sold to external customers. Currently, the
technologies and support are only for Equans itself. However, with these results, managers
think their IT department understands the customers' demands. Therefore, technologies used
in-house are ready to be sold to external parties. This would not only allow Equans to create
another income flow but also provide them with more feedback, which was seen to be already
beneficial with the support systems (Hattie & Timperley). If these technologies are sold out-
side the company, more people will use them; therefore, more opinions will come from utiliz-
ing them. Overall, selling these technologies and systems would be highly beneficial for
Equans if they create dupes of their technologies so they do not share valuable information.
Various literature supports the argument that understanding customer needs leads to
higher sales (. Combining this with the technologies at Equans, which have been proven to in-
crease management satisfaction, would mean that they are ready to be sold externally. In addi-
tion, commercializing internal systems to other companies also benefits the selling company
as it creates strategic alliances helping both parties (Taylor & Xiao, 2010). Additionally, by
selling systems, the network effect, as described earlier, is also applied (Veile et al., 2022).
More people will use the system, and therefore, the company (in this case, Equans) can bene-
fit from feedback, which is the most valuable learning experience (Hattie & Timperley). One
of the most prominent and main benefits of selling systems is creating more revenue. By sell-
ing non-confidential systems or creating dupes, Equans can generate more income.
Managers should assess if the company understands the needs of the customers they
want to sell to and if the various systems and technologies are ready to be commercialized ex-
ternally. By doing this assessment and making sure no confidential information or systems are

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being sold, the company (in this case, Equans) can generate more revenue and reek the bene-
fits of valuable feedback and possible alliances.
Overall, the three variables have proven to be significant and thus increase manage-
ment satisfaction, which gives a good indication of certain aspects of work within the com-
pany. Furthermore, not only do managers become more satisfied, but other benefits are linked
to the positive impact of these variables. Benefits that are interesting enough for any company
to consider these findings.

Limitations
Although the limited research still provided some significant results, specific issues still need
to be considered.
Firstly, this research is only focused on the in-house created technologies by Equans,
meaning it might take longer to be applied to another research. As the topic of digitalization is
so big, the choice must be made on what technologies to use. The technologies chosen had to
be made in-house and used at Equans. This limited the choice of technologies. Due to differ-
ences in organizational structures, technologies, and contextual considerations, the generaliz-
ability of the conclusions to other organizations or industries may be limited.
Secondly, the variables might not provide the whole picture and just describe part of
management satisfaction. As this scope focuses on only three variables (digital platforms, dig-
ital support, and outward digitalization), the results will only explain a part of management
satisfaction. Other aspects that influence management satisfaction need to be considered. Or-
ganizational culture, training, and overall technological infrastructure may also influence
manager satisfaction.
Thirdly, the results of this research are based on 56 participants. A more considerable
number of participants might give better results. A bigger sample size would lead to more ac-
curate results, meaning they are better applicable to the public (Sharpe N. et al., 2014).
Fourth, this study did not explore potential interactions or moderating effects between
the various variables used. Factors such as the managers' tenure, functional roles, or their
level of technical expertise could influence the relationship between in-house created tech-
nologies and satisfaction. Examining these potential moderating factors would enhance under-
standing of the sample's complexity and heterogeneity.
Fifth, the multiple models showed that robustness is not as expected. This should be
further investigated as higher robustness would be better as it makes the model more trustwor-
thy.

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 Lastly, as in any study with self-reported data, managers might have filled in the sur-
vey biased as they rate the company, they work in. This can influence the results' outcome,
leading to misleading interpretations. Other aspects, such as personal preferences, job roles, or
specific interactions with technologies, might have affected their opinion. These subjective as-
pects can introduce potential biases into the research findings.
Considering these various limitations can help future researchers in setting up their re-
search. Furthermore, it is essential to provide these limitations as it helps people reading this
thesis to interpret results easier.
Future research
This thesis could be used for future research on various digitalization topics. Researchers
could use this thesis as an example for theirs. Even though the technologies chosen here are
made in-house by Equans, they are still known technologies used in other organizations.
Furthermore, the topic of digitalization is so big that the setup of this research can be
used together with other technologies. Other research that might not be specific to a company
could still use these results to show the importance of the various used technologies this thesis
discusses.
Additionally, as this research added an entrepreneurial aspect, it might be interesting
for future research to consider this. Companies that create in-house technologies might not
have considered scalability. Other researchers can dig deeper into this to determine if other
technologies (those not used in this study) could also be sold externally. On top of that, re-
search can be done where non-entrepreneurial-minded managers are compared to entrepre-
neurial managers to show the entrepreneurial dimensions within a company. This can be done
by assessing risk-taking, proactiveness, and innovation factors.
This research is also beneficial for management research. As the base of this study is
management satisfaction with various technologies, valuable info can be used. One recom-
mendation that could be made for future research is to explore the organizational culture in
shaping management satisfaction with in-house created (or outsourced) technologies. Aspects
such as innovative climate, teamwork, and management support could explain why managers
would want to adopt certain technologies or not. This might be interesting research as it
would provide additional information on why managers want to adopt certain technologies
and why not.
Future research may also consider longitudinal studies to examine how managers' sat-
isfaction with in-house created technologies evolves and how external factors, such as techno-
logical advancements, market trends, or changes in the competitive landscape, may influence
it.

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 Lastly, as seen from the multiple regression, the robustness of this model could be
more optimal. Therefore, researchers should add variables to further test this model and check
if it improves.
Overall, this research can be used in various setups. It can be used as a base for future
digitalization, entrepreneurship, and management satisfaction studies. Future research can bet-
ter understand the various discussed topics by digging deeper into them. These insights can
guide companies and managers in developing and optimizing the technological path they em-
bark on. This will allow companies and managers to enhance satisfaction and drive successful
digital transformation.

Conclusion

This thesis investigates whether the managers at Equans were overall happy with the tech-
nologies created in-house by the IT department and whether they are ready to be sold exter-
nally. Overall, the IT department has provided Equans with promising technologies. Manage-
ment was satisfied with the various systems and technologies, and it was even discovered that
the IT department both understands and provides technologies ready to be sold externally. As
with most research, some limitations need to be kept in mind when using this research in the
future. However, these results can still be applied to other companies and future research con-
cerning the topic of digitalization. Overall, the results are beneficial not just for Equans but
also for other companies on the path to becoming more digital.

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Appendix:

Appendix A: Survey Questions

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Official statement of original thesis
By signing this statement, I hereby acknowledge the submitted thesis (hereafter mentioned as “prod-
uct”), titled:
DRIVING MANAGERIAL SATISFACTION IN THE DIGITAL ERA: ANALYZING THE
EFFECTS OF DIGITAL PLATFORMS, SUPPORT, AND OUTWARD DIGITALIZATION
IN EQUANS
to be produced independently by me, without external help.
Wherever I paraphrase or cite literally, a reference to the original source (journal, book, report, inter-
net, etc.) is given.
By signing this statement, I explicitly declare that I am aware of the fraud sanctions as stated in the
Education and Examination Regulations (EERs) of the SBE.
Place: Maastricht
Date: 23/06/2023
First and last name: Tim Calleeuw
Study program: Master International Business specialization Entrepreneurship and Business Develop-
ment
Master International Business specialization Supply Chain Management

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Course/skill: EBS4018 & EBS4022
ID number: i6150418
Signature:

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Statement

Name Tim Calleeuw

ID I6150418
Supervisor Kristing Kronenberg & Özge Tüncel
Date 23.06.2023

Through the research conducted for this master's thesis, I seek to contribute to
one or more of the 17 SDGs (s) set forth by the United Nations (https://
www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals). Specifically:

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SDG Code(s): 8

Explanation (max. 300 words):

This thesis has looked at how satisfied managers at Equans are with the various
in-house created technologies. With this research, valuable information on effi-
ciency, performance, and revenue creation was discussed. This information can
now be used by Equans to grow, asses their systems, and therefore improve
them, leading to economic growth. These results are valuable to Equans and can
be used by other companies as reference points only if they asses their technolo-
gies.

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