This short paper reports on an ongoing study related to automation journeys in public sector organizations. From interviews with Robotic Process Automation (RPA) consultants, we highlight and discuss the specific capability of “making technology work” by referring to and using a core capability framework. The capability of making technology work, which we see as needing attention from both suppliers and customers if the adoption of the automation technology should be successful. We argue that this capability becomes a crucial capability; from the start of the journey and after arriving at the destination, if successful, co-creation should happen and be continuously a fact.

This paper discusses the need of IS capabilities when introducing Robotic Process Automation (RPA) from a suppliers' perspective. This perspective is vital because of the lack of research and because suppliers of technology have extensive experience and influence during a customer's adoption of RPA. RPA adoption requires developing a relationship consisting of internal and external actors with potential mutual benefits that will be further explored in this paper. For analysis, we revisit an existing framework by Feeny-Willcocks focused on critical core IS capabilities for exploiting new technologies. Therefore, the discussions presented in this paper will complement existing internal perspectives on the adoption of RPA. Our conclusions point towards the benefits of applying the suggested framework in an RPA context. The framework enables a systemic overview of essential organizational capabilities, relationships and dimensions when successfully exploiting RPA. The framework also assists in clarifying which capabilities are crucial and reveals necessary dependencies between them.

This paper is part of a research project that investigates and provides guidance regarding the adoption and implications of automation in the Swedish local government. Automation technologies, such as Robotic Process Automation (RPA), are well established in the private and the public sector. In this paper, we discuss whether the adoption of RPA can be seen as migration towards automation. The aim is to evaluate the Push-Pull-Mooring (PPM) framework to understand better what factors influence local government adoption. By analysing RPA suppliers, RPA developers, and local government representatives' perspectives, we have identified push, pull, and mooring factors potentially influencing the decision to adopt, i.e., accepting or rejecting RPA. We, therefore, argue that the PPM framework seems to be a fruitful way of researching factors influencing the adoption of automation and the concept of automation as migration further.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is being adapted by public sector organizations as ameans to solve challenges yet new problems and challenges arise. One reason for this may be amismatch between how RPA is portrayed and what it turns out to be. This paper covers the first analysis in a study that compares the portrayal of RPA by vendors by that of public sector.

The public sector is facing an equation that cannot be solved by continuingdoing business as usual. External demands of availability, quality andresilience of services, as well as internal demands of resource efficiency, areputting pressure on the public sector to seek for innovation. In this study, wefocus on local government innovation where high expectations are set on betterutilisation of employees’ creativity and innovative capacity. Based on a qualitativecase study of an innovation programme in a Swedish local governmentorganisation, this study applies institutional theory as a theoretical lens tofurther investigate and analyse the relationship between formal and informalstructures of local government innovation. The institutional structures related tonorms and values, legitimacy and decoupling as well as digital artefacts as institutionalcarriers are discussed. Implications for practice show that formal structures,processes and digital artefacts to support local government innovation areimportant in this work. However, to achieve government innovation, equal attentionshould also be given to informal institutional structures of innovation.For research, this implies that government innovation studies can benefit froman institutional theory perspective to develop a better understanding of how informalstructures affect related processes. We conclude by arguing that theneeded change towards the innovative bureaucracy is a transformative innovationin itself that needs to be acknowledged.

Coordination is an important enabler when creating and managing coherent, integrated, secure and smart public electronic services (e-services). With an increased demand for such services, coordination as an internal organizational phenomenon is becoming increasingly important. Based on a qualitative case study, and informed by coordination theory, this paper investigates two different theoretical views applied on internal e-service coordination within a government agency in Sweden. At the outset, the agency is seeking one generic way to coordinate the current heterogeneous and fragmented internal e-service landscape in a more efficient way. Hence, our aim also includes investigating the prerequisites and potential for this type of coordination. We conduct this study in two stages. First, we apply a well-established theoretical lens from organizational theory on a set of coordination efforts, thereby perceiving coordination as a planned and anticipated activity based on a fixed set of mechanisms. Second, we apply a lens of coordinating as emergent practice, which allows for an in-depth investigation of more flexible and dynamic aspects of coordinating activities in daily work. By combining these two views, we argue that this approach can facilitate and increase understanding of the dynamics and flexibility needed to understand the type of coordination needed in public e-service contexts. This also implies that there is no single best practice or ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to internal e-service coordination. Instead, organizations need to acknowledge the need for combined multi-dimensional views revealing the inherent complexity of coordination; as planned as well as emerging activities.

Sjuksköterskan Mikael kliver upp tidigt på morgonen för att åka till jobbet. Han jobbar på en mindre vårdcentral ungefär tre mil hemifrån och måste åka strax före halv sju på morgonen. På väg ut till bilen kommer han plötslig ihåg att han måste ha med sig sitt nya ID-kort. Utan kortet kan han inte jobba…

I nutid existerar en samsyn kring att den offentliga sektorns innovationsförmåga utgör en mycket viktig potentiell resurs för att möta såväl samtidens som framtidens utmaningar. Denna outnyttjade resurs i form av medarbetares idé- och innovationskraft kan, genom ett systematiskt och strukturerat främjande, stöd och utnyttjande hjälpa offentlig sektor att nå ytterligare förbättringar och effektiviseringar med hänsyn till resursutnyttjande. Genom att omsätta medarbetares förmåga i form av kreativitet och innovationskraft till reell nytta har, som fokuseras i denna utvärdering, den kommunala sektorn bättre förutsättningar att bemöta dagens och morgondagens utmaningar på ett effektivt och ändamålsenligt sätt. För att möta samtidens krav och utmaningar i det lokala samhället, måste därmed traditionella sätt att organisera och strukturera verksamhet utmanas och förändras för att i större utsträckning främja aktörs- och nätverksdrivna ansatser.

Denna rapport presenterar utvärderingen av Linköpings kommuns arbete att introducera och etablera ett idé- och innovationssystem - en idé och innovationsfrämjande struktur och stödfunktion. Dessa insatser har erhållit positiv respons, men ett bredare genomslag i operativ verksamhet kan hittills anses vara begränsat. Följande analys fokuserar identifierade utmaningar inom områden som styrning och samordning, förankring av centrala begrepp samt förutsättningar och kultur. Utvärderingens resultat presenteras som tydliga åtgärder och strategiska ställningstaganden. Dessa framhåller vikten av en balanserad och nyanserad helhetssyn på idé- och innovationsprocessen. Med ökad proaktivitet, samverkan i nätverk, minskad distans till operativ verksamhet, tydlig förankring av centrala begrepp samt aktivt främjande av en kreativ arbetsmiljö och innovationskultur ser vi en god potential för fortsatt positiv vidareutveckling av kommunens idé- och innovationssystem.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to analyse and understand the contemporary management of electronic identification (e-ID) development to: identify and formulate challenges and reflect upon the use of a combination of perspectives. To generate knowledge on this issue, we investigate e-ID development in Sweden from: an e-government systems development lifecycle perspective and a project challenge and critical success factor (CSF) perspective. Design/methodology/approach– This is a qualitative case study covering an analysis of the three years in a larger project focusing e-ID in a public e-service setting. Empirical sources have been face-to-face interviews; official documents and different kind of forums for presentations and discussions in, for example, hearings arranged by authorities; meetings with the coordinating agency, and practitioners’ networks events. Findings– This study concludes that there are significant challenges involved in managing e-ID development because of its contextual and integrated character. Challenges involve the organization and management of the program and can be traced back to e-government, general project management literature and theory on path dependency. Based on this study, we can question, e.g. governance models, centralization and a narrow focus on the technical artefact. Our study is also an illustration of a possible way to analyse e-ID within an e-government initiative. Research limitations/implications– The present study shows that an e-ID can be considered as a back office-enabler for launching e-services, but also highlights the need for management of the artefact as an integral part of e-service development because it is intertwined with the use of e-services from a user perspective. This aspect together with the insights related to challenges and success factors including path dependency provides implications for future practice of e-ID management and development in particular and information systems artefact development in general. Originality/value– This paper addresses challenges related to the development of e-ID in a public e-service setting. Few studies have theoretically combined a lifecycle perspective on challenges and success factors related to e-ID development while also focusing different dimensions of path dependency as an example of a challenging area within a program frame. Studying e-ID as a contemporary phenomenon from a contextual perspective in line with sociomaterial thinking – with a focus on the interplay between technology and people –can also help us to understand and discuss artefact development in general.

Purpose– The purpose of the paper is to reveal how identities are constructed when electronic identification (eIDs) cards are introduced through information systems in public organisations. Design/methodology/approach– Through two case studies, the authors generate rich data on the construction of identities through use of eID within public organisations. The author’s analysis, based on actor network theory, focusses on the translation of eIDs in these two settings. Findings– ID can be viewed as an artefact where the public and private spheres meet. The authors found at least three mixed roles in employees’ use of eID: as a purely private person; as a private person in the work place; and as a professional in the work place. Research limitations/implications– There is a need for further research on how eID is translated into organisational contexts and how institutional settings define the openings for local translation processes. However, the results are based on two small cases, meaning that broad generalisations are difficult to make. Practical implications– EID is so much more than technology. The technical framing of the identification system appears to be subordinated to organisational arrangements and cultures, making it important to apply a socio-technical perspective when working with eID. Originality/value– The empirical cases have offered a unique chance to study implementation and use of eID in two very different public service organisations. The findings illustrate how eID translated into organisational contexts, and how identity management within an organisational setting is linked to the employees’ private and professional roles.