The influence of digital transformation on low-carbon operations management practices and performance: does CEO ambivalence matter?

Although digital transformation has aroused the interest of scholars and practitioners, how to reach a win-win situation between economic and carbon performance in the context of carbon neutrality has not been well addressed. Based on organizational information processing theory, this study investigates how digital transformation affects economic and carbon performance via low-carbon operations management practices (LOMP) and the moderating role of CEO ambivalence. We test research hypotheses using hierarchical regression analysis by collecting data from 297 Chinese manufacturing firms. Our results reveal that all three dimensions of LOMP mediate the impact of digital transformation on carbon performance, and low-carbon products mediate the impact of digital transformation on economic performance. In addition, CEO ambivalence weakens the impacts of digital transformation on three dimensions of LOMP. The findings extend the digital transformation and LOMP literature and provide theoretical guidance for managers to achieve the goals of economic development and carbon reduction.