Digital systems do not provide competitive advantage, but how they are used does. Strategic focus therefore should rest on ways of working and competences needed that can turn the potential benefits of digitisation into successful digital transformation. Strategies and governance of IT’s contribution need to extend beyond the organization itself. Management needs to understand the force field around the organization: its business ecology and its role in this living interaction. Relationships with partners are a particular focus of this chapter, as are communicating metrics of progress, and commercial price models to encourage desirable behaviour.

Within the organization itself, technology can be used to provide more centralized governance, but controls can also become “thinner” when appropriate information reaches everyone through digital technology, enabling increased local agency. Control requires metrics to track progress, ensuring that decisions make use of the information that systems can now provide, and ongoing accountability to capture and use information in all parts of the organization.

Homo academicus, who are we, who do we want to be, and how do others view us? There are many alternative answers to these questions. In this chapter, I explore three different conceptions that not only differ in outlook and underlying assumptions, but also on who counts as Homo academicus. The three are Homo academicus as guild, employment, and attitude to knowledge and learning. As during previous information technology revolutions—writing, paper, printing, penny post, telegraph, copier, e.g.—the present digitisation again poses challenges to the established order, power structures, and conceptions of (worthwhile) knowledge, giving cause to look at the assumptions underpinning and shaping these conceptions. Again, the role of the academy is in transition.

Entering a road towards Homo academicus-ship may be motivated by a range of desires: the search for truth or justified true belief; a longing for becoming an authority—or merely to be accepted into the circles where those one views as authorities reside and act; making a career in a structure with a seemingly clear hierarchy—or merely making a living; a passion for a topic; a wish for intellectual challenges—or merely intellectual conversations …. These desires can be met to differing degrees and in different forms depending on the conception of Homo academicus. And the surrounding world provides support, funding, admiration, challenges, and disdain partly based on which conception(s) surrounding actors hold.

How these three conceptions and their underlying assumptions interact, challenge, and are challenged by each other and by trends in the societies of which they form parts, is the object of this chapter examining current transitions.

När organisationer utvecklar strategier är avsikten att samordna handlande och därmed nå mål. För att det ska ske behöver strategierna påverka individers och gruppers agerande, ibland även utanför den legala organisationen – hos leverantörer, andra direkta samarbetsparter och eventuellt även hos mer indirekt berörda aktörer inom det vi kallar en affärsekologi[1]. Ofta har strategin karaktär av en berättelse: ”Om vi gör så här räknar vi med att nå målen.” Den ligger till grund såväl för konkreta beslut om till exempel projekt som för självbilden hos chefer och medarbetare. En kommunicerbar och övertygande strategi ger framtidstro och vägledning i vardagen.

För trettio, fyrtio år sedan var IT en ny resurs för de flesta. Då handlade IT-strategi om hård- och mjukvara, och kanske om en ”dataavdelning” (se kapitel 5). I dag avgör digitalisering på ett mycket mer djupgående sätt utvecklingen på de marknader där organisationen verkar, och den skapar ständigt nya förutsättningar för interna ansvar och arbetssätt. Personer i och utanför företaget kan nu samarbeta i realtid oberoende av avstånd. Dessutom ersätter datorn människan i allt fler processer, samtidigt som nya arbets- och styrningsuppgifter uppstår. Nya strategier har blivit nödvändiga för att klara konkurrensen. När IT möjliggör samverkan över lands- och organisationsgränser behöver organisationers ledningar strategier, inte bara för den egna verksamheten utan även för hur den ska navigera bland leverantörer, marknadskanaler, kunder och myndigheter. Strategierna behöver omsättas i handlande; för att utforma roller, kompetenser och systemstöd för detta krävs också strategier. I kapitlet granskar vi vilka nya krav digitaliseringen medför för en organisations strategier och för arbetet med att genomföra dem, det vill säga dess styrning.

 [1] Med affärsekologi menar vi den livsmiljö i vilken en organisation verkar. Ibland talar man om ekosystem. Vi tycker att ordet ekologi tydligare associerar till hur livsmiljön förändras.

Whilst digitisation is far from a new concept, many assume that simply introducing automation and information systems in various forms will be enough to make their organisation’s operations more efficient. This misconception can often lead to disarray and costly mistakes. Digital Transformation: Understanding Business Goals, Risks, Processes, and Decisions shows how to avoid such issues via careful consideration of what an enterprise really needs.

Unlike many other books on digital transformation, the authors do not dwell on database design or the details of implementing information systems. Instead, they emphasise the importance of a clear understanding of all aspects of an organisation in order to effectively implement and manage digital systems, from business goals and strategies to structuring information and making decisions, risk assessments, project management, organising, and procuring services and products.

Organised in eleven chapters, and drawing on examples from all over the world, this book will be of interest to university students of business administration, management, information systems, and computer science, as well as practitioners seeking to better understand how to handle digital transformation in their own organisation.

Digitalisering är ett begrepp som står högt upp på agendan i många sammanhang. Att digitalisering är av fundamental betydelse för våra samhällen är de flesta överens om, men sällan diskuteras vad begreppet faktiskt kan betyda. Detta vill författarna Mathias Cöster och Alf Westelius reda ut i den här boken, som nu är inne på sin andra upplaga.

De gör det genom att diskutera såväl digitaliseringens framväxt som olika aktuella och möjliga framtida konsekvenser av den.

Sagt om boken

"Mathias Cöster och Alf Westelius tar med läsaren på en resa där digitaliseringen problematiseras med utgångspunkt i informationsteknikens historiska framväxt. På så sätt formulerar författarna ett viktigt fundament för fortsatt diskussion om teknikens möjligheter och begränsningar ur ett brukarprespektiv. Jag rekommenderar alla med ambitionen att förstå och påverka det moderna samhället att ta till sig och reflektera över innehållet."

Pär J. Ågerfalk, professor i informationssystem vid Uppsala universitet

Digitisation is a concept high on the agenda in many contexts. Most would agree that digitisation is of fundamental importance for our societies, but it is seldom discussed what the concept actually means. This is something the authors strive to clarify in this book, now in its second edition. They do so by discussion both the origin and emergence of digitisation, and current and possible future consequences of it.

Amazingly, many still believe that introducing automation and information systems in various forms is enough to make their operations more efficient. The outcomes of such actions often become very costly. One reason for this misconception is that the technical design is a sidetrack in the context of an organisation. Instead, the real issue is understanding your goals and your organisation. This book is about taking advantage of the opportunities that the now rather mature digitisation offers in a world of abundance of data. The book goes through digitisation based on what an organisation really is and what it needs. We describe how to understand its goals, develop its strategies, and shape its business models. We describe in detail how to achieve this by developing organisations, processes, decisions, configurations, and project implementations.We address everyone who wants to understand how organisations should handle, and seriously take advantage of, the risky gold mining that digitisation actually is.The authors have numerous years of experience as researchers, lecturers and consultants in the field.

The world is more unpredictable than ever. Digitisation, which in principle affects everything that surrounds us, has during the last half-century strongly contributed to this unpredictability. It has enabled a global trade that incorporates more and more people, organisations, and states. It has enabled a larger international labour market than anyone could foresee. It has made possible a tremendous rationalisation of social functions and tasks. It has enabled a huge flow of information in all sectors of society. And it has enabled some sort of organisation of all this. Numerous human beings, for good and bad, have had to dramatically change their lives. Digitisation has thus created a wave of both problems and opportunities. This development has fantastic advantages, but there is every reason to consider the entire thing with some scepticism. Nevertheless, this is where we are, so let us shape the future so that it suits us.

However, to be able to shape something at all, we need to know what we want. This applies to both individuals and organisations. First and foremost, it must be clear to us where we want to go, what we want to achieve (what goals we have), and how we will get there (which strategy we choose and the decisions we make). This may seem simple, but it is not. Building a vision and a goal in a complex environment and understanding how to realise them is difficult. Nevertheless, the need for clear preferences is often underestimated and clear preferences are rarely spelled out. At the same time, digitisation provides better conditions for success than ever – if we understand how to use it.

Amazingly, many still believe that introducing automation and information systems in various forms is enough to make their operations more efficient. The outcomes of such actions often become very costly. One reason for this misconception is that the technical design is a sidetrack in the context of an organisation. Instead, the real issue is understanding your goals and your organisation.

• You need to understand how people and parts of the organisation should interact to achieve clear and instrumental goals
• You need to understand the different processes in the organisation
• You must understand how to assess risks and opportunities
• You have to understand how to make decisions

If you take this as a point of departure, there are good opportunities to build an adequate IT business to support the organisation's processes and functions. This book therefore differs from a typical book on IT strategies. It is not about the details of implementing different types of information systems. Nor does it handle database design and data excerpts. You can easily find that elsewhere. Many of the technical details are also becoming increasingly obsolete as information system development becomes less and less computer-related and readily available modular products basically satisfy all our needs, as long as we know what we want.

A meaningful book on IT strategies must therefore be about something completely different, something more fundamental. Thus, this book is about taking advantage of the opportunities that the now rather mature digitisation offers in a world of abundance of data – and sometimes even a lack of relevant data. It is about understanding your goals and strategies and how business utility relates to your activities. It is about how to structure information and how to make decisions. It is about risk assessments and uncertainty. It is about project portfolios and project management. It is about organising resources and capacities. And it is about how to purchase services and products in our increasingly distributed world.

The book therefore goes through digitisation based on what an organisation really is and what it needs. We describe how to understand its goals, develop its strategies, and shape its business models.

Theories are often good for understanding reality, but equally often it is difficult to understand how to actually use them in practical activities. Therefore, we also describe in detail how to achieve this by developing organisations, processes, decisions, configurations, and project implementations.

The book is particularly suitable for courses in business administration and industrial economics and management as well as computer and systems science. But we really address everyone who wants to understand how organisations should handle, and seriously take advantage of, the risky gold mining that digitisation actually is.

This book provides a concrete guide on how to execute strategic pricing to excel in an increasingly dynamic and digitised business environment, while developing and deepening relations with contract partners. The secret lies in crafting innovative price models that reward joint value creation in accordance with the business model, rather than engaging in confrontative zero-sum pricing reasoning.

Strategic and Innovative Pricing: Price Models for a Digital Economy provides hands-on tools that are applied on three interconnected levels of analysis. It illustrates how to explore the business ecology to understand its dynamics and how digitisation enables it to prosper and demonstrates how to construct a viable business model that enables an organisation to navigate in its vibrant ecology. Finally, and most importantly, it shows how to use innovative price models to realize and monetise the business model and its value offering, making the organisation and its partnerships sustainable.

Models pertaining to the three levels of analyses are applied in rich case studies and examples from different countries, and the book includes guidelines on how to use them. Special attention is paid to digitisation as an underlying theme, making this book of interest to researchers, academics, and students in the fields of strategic management and technology & innovation management.

Strategic management control differs from traditional management control in several important respects. First, it supports both strategy formulation and strategy implementation. Second, it is to a large extent based on non-financial information. Third, it deals with both the long and short term and supports not only tactical, but also strategic and operational decision-making. Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, strategic management control is designed for, and adapted to, each organisations unique strategies. In this context, the book emphasises the importance of dialogues. The authors argue that it is unwise to assume that decisions taken at the top of the organisation will automatically be executed and obeyed throughout the organisation. Instead, they highlight the importance of dialogue and collaboration, both between hierarchical levels within the organisation and between actors in the network. Such communication is essential to making management control processes both strategic and successful. The book follows a clear structure, from the design of strategies to the everyday evaluation and discussion of performance and results. Though primarily intended for professionals working in strategy and management control at organisations, it will also benefit students and academics interested in strategy and management control.