DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR:
A STUDY ON RESISTANCE TO THE CONTRACT PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Name: ELIVALDO FILHO GODINHO CAVALCANTE
Publication date: 17/10/2022
Advisor:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| BRUNO DE ALMEIDA VILELA | Advisor * |
| TERESA CRISTINA JANES CARNEIRO | Advisor * |
Examining board:
| Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| BRUNO DE ALMEIDA VILELA | Advisor * |
| HÉLIO ZANQUETTO FILHO | Internal Examiner * |
| TERESA CRISTINA JANES CARNEIRO | Advisor * |
Summary: The use of technology has caused a revolution in public organizations in recent decades and has
required a change of mindset in how services are delivered. This demand has led the public
sector to conduct digital transformation initiatives that, by exploring new digital technologies,
can bring benefits to its operations, involving services and processes, organizational structures
and new management concepts. In conducting these initiatives, public institutions have faced
difficulties in the implementation of programs or projects, among which stands out the
resistance of users of new systems that require other ways of executing activities. The lack of
knowledge and understanding of the sources of resistance can compromise the success of
initiatives, and even make them unfeasible, which suggests the importance of the role of
resistance in local digital developments. The central objective of this study is to investigate the
sources of user resistance and infer how they could hinder the implementation of information
systems in the context of digital transformation in public sector organizations. This exploratory
study brings contributions of a substantive nature, insofar as the examination of the sources of
resistance in the context of digital transformation in public organizations, from the theoretical
dimensions related to "personal factors," "system design" and "interaction," can support
proposals for approaches that can reduce the resistance of information system users. The
research findings reveal that even an information system evaluated as intelligent, intuitive and
interactive is subject to user resistance, and that user resistance to information systems stems
predominantly from internal factors (personal factors) and very timidly from external factors
(system design), reinforcing the idea that digital transformation is more related to the change
of strategic mindset than to factors related strictly to technology, and indicating that the simple
introduction or improvement of technology does not necessarily mean digitally transforming
organizations. Finally, academic and managerial implications related to public management,
the limitations of the research, and recommendations for future studies were presented.
