Five Challenges for Benefits Management in Complex Digitalisation Efforts – and a Research Agenda to Address Current Shortcomings

Abstract

Over the past decades a number of benefits realisation (BR) frameworks have been developed. The benefits management model (BMM) is considered to be the most widely adopted and is often seen as a reference for good practice in digitalisation efforts in single organisations. However, this literature provides little support for complex, inter‑organisational efforts. This is problematic, considering that digitalisation increasingly involves multiple organisations. To explore this gap, we studied the phenomenon in a Norwegian inter‑organisational eHealth effort. Based on a qualitative study involving 50 interviews, observations and document analyses, we identify five distinct challenges and suggest a research agenda with five propositions for benefits management in complex digitalisation settings that can be further explored and tested by other researchers. The challenges and propositions constitute novel insights into a poorly understood area and contain implications and directions that can benefit both researchers and practitioners working in similar contexts.

Realizing Sustainable Value from ERP Systems Implementation

“…One of the most common models, called the "Cranfield Model", suggested in [27], is widely embraced in IT/IS research and projects. It can be considered that such a model, demonstrated in [27], is a most influential and an effective model for benefits realization [19,22,29]. Figure 1 shows the different stages for the BM process which start with the active engagement and involvement of both senior business managers and operational people to construct a BM plan that has details, such as the benefits' sources and their relation to the adoption motives, action responsibilities, required business changes, and timelines for achievements.…”

“…Indeed, many systems' benefits were obtained when they became integrated with other digital technologies; the benefits are not exclusive to a particular technological component that is isolated from the rest of the technological infrastructure [4][5][6]. Obviously, the implemented information system is integrated with other systems and with modern technologies within a digital transformation initiative [19,29].…”

Roadmapping in the Digital Transformation Literature

“…Interorganizational digitalization efforts represent dynamic, oftentimes random combinations of actors with various goals and motives that do not necessarily align with an organization's actual interests [59]. Yet the literature does not offer guidance on facilitating inter-organizational digitalization efforts that aim to realize benefits beyond single organizations [2,34]. This obstacle to reimagination is exacerbated by uncertain activities in collaborative transformation efforts in practice.…”

“…To gain the multiple opportunities that come with new software, organizations should make the technology-supported changes that differentiate successful digital transformations from the rest [12,40]. Adding technology does not automatically confer expected benefits; these benefits must be unlocked, which can only happen through organizational changes [2,40]. To do so, a benefits dependency tool to identify and map all required changes is presented, so expected benefits and outcomes are delivered.…”

“…Digital transformations in a technological and software context are often viewed in terms of their impacts on markets, products, and services [12,21,49,58]. However, to ensure the digital transformation initiative has momentum, the transformation of organizations needs to be considered in not only the context of technology but also business changes [2,40] and the necessary customer orientation [58,59]. The literature stresses how business changes should be made considering three domains (i.e., finance, marketing, and innovation management) [4,21].…”