In an environment where global investments in digital transformation (DX) amount to trillions of dollars, organizations are facing a paradoxical stagnation: up to 70% of technology initiatives fail to achieve their stated objectives. This gap between technological activity and actual business outcomes indicates a systemic managerial pathology. This monograph introduces and scientifically substantiates the concept of "Digital Atrophy"–a gradual erosion of organizational agility, productivity, and return on investment (ROI), masked by "vanity metrics" and the continuous implementation of new technologies.

The research conceptualizes Digital Atrophy as a synergistic failure caused by the accumulation of technical debt (TD) and, more significantly, organizational debt (OD)–obsolete structures, processes, and policies. The work argues that the pursuit of hyped technologies (e.g., AI) upon an unprepared operational foundation does not resolve, but rather exacerbates, existing problems, acting as a catalyst for operational instability.

Based on a systematic analysis of theoretical prerequisites (the productivity paradox, maturity curves) and an empirical analysis of atrophy manifestations in key sectors (public sector, manufacturing, finance, healthcare), the monograph develops a proprietary methodology, designated as the Digital Atrophy Recovery Framework (DARF). This methodology shifts the focus from technology acquisition to strengthening organizational "absorptive capacity" and executional discipline.

The work's central contribution is the development of a 5-stage framework, which includes a diagnostic toolkit ("The Five Pillars of Readiness") and a step-by-step recovery program (from mobilization to modernization and cultivation). The monograph offers a practical toolkit for executives, including a system of KPIs to measure progress in overcoming atrophy, with the ultimate goal of ensuring a sustainable increase in the effectiveness of technology investments.

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