In the process of promoting the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, cultural governance and innovation are playing an increasingly important role. This paper uses genealogical data from various regions in China to measure the clan culture in different regions, and examines the digital transformation process of enterprises under the impact of clan culture. The study finds that regional clan culture suppresses the level of digital transformation of local enterprises. Influence mechanism testing finds that enterprises located in areas with strong clan cultural atmosphere exhibit a board structure characterized by surname convergence, lower willingness to internationalize talents, and relatively lower innovation investment. Regarding situational impact, it is found that government shareholding alleviates the inhibitory effect of clan culture on enterprise digital transformation. This paper introduces the concept of traditional regional culture into the framework of enterprise digital transformation, and reveals that regional clan culture is an important factor that triggers regional differences in digital technology application, enriching the content of cultural governance that affects economic growth. It interprets from a cultural perspective that the issue of corporate transformation and development has become a new research hotspot, expanding the research in the field of corporate transformation. The study of informal institutions can not only provide a unique perspective for evaluating the differences that affect corporate transformation from the existing institutional framework, but also provide valuable references for promoting the improvement of China’s corporate transformation governance system.