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On 23 November at 10:15, there will be a 3rd year PhD presentation by Anne-Christine Rosfeldt Lorentzen entitled "Managing digital transformation: The role of leadership and legitimation"

Supervisors: Christa Thomsen & Andrea Carugati
Discussants: Sune Dueholm Müller & Adam Gordon

Abstract
Our societies are facing radical changes due to digital transformation, as almost every industry domain is working on initiatives to make use of the benefits of digital technologies. Consequently, digital transformation has emerged as an important phenomenon, especially within the field of information systems research, and for practitioners. The phenomenon is often, in some variation, described as the use of new digital technologies to enable major business improvements. However, digital transformations often cause more difficulties and take longer time, than both scholars and practitioners expect. In reaction to this, scholars are increasingly turning towards a focus on humans in digital transformation (highlighting that not only technology itself, but also strategy and leadership are important factors in a successful digital transformation) and argue that we lack studies of what actually happens at a micro-organizational level during digital transformation, in order to improve digital transformation processes. Therefore, this dissertation explores the internal, organizational practices and processes of a digital transformation at a micro level. I explore this in the context of the financial sector, because the pressure of change is heavily felt in this sector, where banks struggle to change from regular banks into digital banks, in which (i) banking occurs via internet, mobiles, and social media channels, (ii) processes are automatized, and (iii) Robo-advisors support customer interaction.

The dissertation is an anthology consisting of three papers:

1. Why employees stymie a digital transformation of which they are in favor: When legitimation becomes counterproductive
2. Digital transformation as distributed leadership: Firing the change agent
3. Digital readiness through shared perceptions and carefully designed organizational processes

In my 3rd year presentation, I will present the main findings from all three papers and prepare a discussion of how the papers collectively contribute to our knowledge on managing digital transformation.

Keywords: Digital transformation; leadership, legitimization; Chief digital officer; digital readiness; practice and process studies; ethnography