Digital Transformation Initiative in a Public Sector Organization: Stakeholder Viewpoints and Responses in Ghana

Abstract

The importance of digital transformation initiatives for contemporary organizations has been demonstrated in research and practice. However, stakeholder viewpoints and responses to such initiatives in the public sector are less understood. We draw on the stakeholder theory to empirically examine how a public sector transformation initiative is shaped by various stakeholders’ viewpoints and responses. This initiative involves an e-procurement platform implementation to transform procurement processes and activities in the developing country context of Ghana. We find that responses from the stakeholder groups influence which viewpoints are realized or not and what factors shape the realizations. The analysis demonstrates that: (1) Failure to realize stakeholder viewpoints is likely to affect benefits derived from public sector digital transformation initiatives; (2) Success of digital transformation initiative pivots around analysis of stakeholders’ responses to the outcomes of such projects; (3) Lack of appropriate technological infrastructure constrains digital transformation initiatives in the public sector.