The Institutional Logic of Digitalization

Henri Schildt*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterScientificpeer-review

28 Citations (Scopus)
503 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Digital technologies have fundamentally changed organizations, industries, and even the society. Although institutional theory provides rich array of perspectives to both the content and dynamics of such changes, research at the intersection of institutional scholarship and digitalization has remained scarce. In this essay, I draw on the institutional logics perspective to elaborate digitalization as involving a new set of interconnected managerial beliefs and norms, organizational practices, and diverse material and social structures that together complement and challenge the established logics in organizations and institutional fields. I draw attention to two central organizing principles in the logic of digitalization: the pursuit of digital omniscience – the efforts to represent and conceive the world through digital data – and digital omnipotence – the efforts to bring activities inside and outside organizations under the control of information systems. I conclude the essay by elaborating how the institutional logics perspective can help understand organization-level efforts to leverage digitalization by incumbent corporations and new digital-native companies.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationDigital Transformation and Institutional Theory
PublisherEmerald
Pages235-251
Number of pages17
ISBN (Electronic)978-1-80262-221-8
ISBN (Print)978-1-80262-222-5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 23 Sept 2022
MoE publication typeA3 Book section, Chapters in research books

Publication series

NameResearch in the Sociology of Organizations
PublisherEmerald
Volume83
ISSN (Print)0733-558X

Keywords

  • data-driven management
  • digital transformation
  • digitalization
  • information technology
  • Institutional logics
  • practice-driven institutionalism

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