South American Expert Roundtable : increasing adaptive governance capacity for coping with unintended side effects of digital transformation

This paper presents the main messages of a South American expert roundtable (ERT) on the unintended side effects (unseens) of digital transformation. The input of the ERT comprised 39 propositions from 20 experts representing 11 different perspectives. The two-day ERT discussed the main drivers and challenges as well as vulnerabilities or unseens and provided suggestions for: (i) the mechanisms underlying major unseens; (ii) understanding possible ways in which rebound effects of digital transformation may become the subject of overarching research in three main categories of impact: development factors, society, and individuals; and (iii) a set of potential action domains for transdisciplinary follow-up processes, including a case study in Brazil. A content analysis of the propositions and related mechanisms provided insights in the genesis of unseens by identifying 15 interrelated causal mechanisms related to critical issues/concerns. Additionally, a cluster analysis (CLA) was applied to structure the challenges and critical developments in South America. The discussion elaborated the genesis, dynamics, and impacts of (groups of) unseens such as the digital divide (that affects most countries that are not included in the development of digital business, management, production, etc. tools) or the challenge of restructuring small- and medium-sized enterprises (whose service is digitally substituted by digital devices). We identify specific issues and effects (for most South American countries) such as lack of governmental structure, challenging geographical structures (e.g., inclusion in high-performance transmission power), or the digital readiness of (wide parts) of society. One scientific contribution of the paper is related to the presented methodology that provides insights into the phenomena, the causal chains underlying “wanted/positive” and “unwanted/negative” effects, and the processes and mechanisms of societal changes caused by digitalization

DIGITALIZAÇÃO DO ENSINO SUPERIOR: IMPACTOS NAS PRÁTICAS DE GESTÃO E DESENVOLVIMENTO INSTITUCIONAL. UMA REVISÃO DE LITERATURA

For an extended period, the higher education community has been diligently endeavoring to implement technologically advanced and more efficacious methodologies. The aim is to enhance effectiveness and cultivate a generation of graduates equipped to navigate the evolving labor market dynamics and adapt to the influences of globalization. The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic significantly catalyzed the adoption of digital education, often referred to as "E-Learning," as a predominant mode of instruction across a majority of countries. This shift was necessitated by the imperative to adhere to social distancing measures and prevent the potential collapse of the educational infrastructure. In the wake of this transformative paradigm, educational institutions were compelled to engineer inventive management approaches to effectively traverse this altered landscape, marking the dawn of a new era. This era is characterized by a profound dependence on advanced technology and unfettered information accessibility as pivotal factors for sustaining and optimizing performance.This paper aims to explain the basic ideas behind managing higher education while exploring the existing research that supports these ideas. By breaking down the various aspects and tools involved, the goal is to shed light on the complex nature of managing higher education. This exploration eventually leads to an examination of how the digitalization of education impacts different functional areas of education management. Through this in-depth analysis, a clear connection emerges between the need for digitalization and the necessity to update management systems. This connection is crucial for not only achieving but also sustaining effective operation in this new era that combines technology and education.Durante um longo período, a comunidade do ensino superior tem-se esforçado diligentemente por implementar metodologias tecnologicamente avançadas e mais eficazes. O objetivo é aumentar a eficácia e cultivar uma geração de licenciados equipados para navegar na dinâmica do mercado de trabalho em evolução e adaptar-se às influências da globalização. O surto da pandemia de Covid-19 catalisou significativamente a adoção da educação digital, muitas vezes referida como "E-Learning", como um modo predominante de ensino na maioria dos países. Esta mudança foi necessária devido ao imperativo de aderir a medidas de distanciamento social e evitar o potencial colapso da infraestrutura educativa. Na sequência deste paradigma transformador, as instituições de ensino foram obrigadas a conceber abordagens de gestão inventivas para atravessar eficazmente esta paisagem alterada, marcando o início de uma nova era. Esta era caracteriza-se por uma profunda dependência da tecnologia avançada e da acessibilidade ilimitada à informação como factores essenciais para sustentar e otimizar o desempenho. Este documento tem por objetivo explicar as ideias básicas subjacentes à gestão do ensino superior, explorando simultaneamente a investigação existente que apoia estas ideias. Ao decompor os vários aspectos e instrumentos envolvidos, o objetivo é esclarecer a natureza complexa da gestão do ensino superior. Esta exploração acaba por conduzir a um exame da forma como a digitalização do ensino afecta as diferentes áreas funcionais da gestão do ensino. Através desta análise aprofundada, surge uma ligação clara entre a necessidade de digitalização e a necessidade de atualizar os sistemas de gestão. Esta ligação é crucial não só para alcançar, mas também para manter um funcionamento eficaz nesta nova era que combina tecnologia e educação

Eco‐Holonic 4.0 Circular Business Model to Conceptualize Sustainable Value Chain Towards Digital Transition

The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize a circular business model based on an Eco-Holonic Architecture, through the integration of circular economy and holonic principles. A conceptual model is developed to manage the complexity of integrating circular economy principles, digital transformation, and tools and frameworks for sustainability into business models. The proposed architecture is multilevel and multiscale in order to achieve the instantiation of the sustainable value chain in any territory. The architecture promotes the incorporation of circular economy and holonic principles into new circular business models. This integrated perspective of business model can support the design and upgrade of the manufacturing companies in their respective industrial sectors. The conceptual model proposed is based on activity theory that considers the interactions between technical and social systems and allows the mitigation of the metabolic rift that exists between natural and social metabolism. This study contributes to the existing literature on circular economy, circular business models and activity theory by considering holonic paradigm concerns, which have not been explored yet. This research also offers a unique holonic architecture of circular business model by considering different levels, relationships, dynamism and contextualization (territory) aspects

A systemic perspective on socioeconomic transformation in the digital age

Digitalization has set the stage for a stream of radical innovations that have the potential to trigger a new technological revolution and cause deep structural changes throughout the economy, affecting not only the technology base, but also the facilitating structure (including production, infrastructure and markets), public policy, and the environment. Focusing on these building blocks, we combine network analysis and composite indicators into a novel framework to investigate a country’s socioeconomic system both across its components and over time. Its empirical application to a set of Western and Asian countries over 10 years gives insights into their socioeconomic performance and development, as well as their capability to absorb technological change. A structural decomposition analysis further allows investigating the evolution of countries’ structural transformation over time and shows the impact of digitalization and Industry 4.0 in this regard

A multi-dimensional model to the digital maturity life-cycle for SMEs

As companies try to maintain and strengthen their competitive advantage, they should be aware of the level of their digital maturity. The study aims to present a methodology that helps to determine the position of a small and medium-sized enterprise in the digital maturity life-cycle. This is performed on the basis of maturity and digital maturity models, and company growth theories. A number of studies and models have been prepared to determine digital maturity on the basis of various sectoral criteria, but these are all one-dimensional. The study therefore proposes a multi-dimensional model for determining the digital maturity life-cycle of small and medium-sized enterprises that takes into account companies’ digital maturity, the IT intensity of various sectors and their organizational characteristics. The model defines five maturity levels together with their relevant characteristics, classified into three levels in terms of data-information. It can help small and medium-sized enterprises adopt more accurate decisions regarding areas in need of development

A multi-dimensional model to the digital maturity life-cycle for SMEs

As companies try to maintain and strengthen their competitive advantage, they should be aware of the level of their digital maturity. The study aims to present a methodology that helps to determine the position of a small and medium-sized enterprise in the digital maturity life-cycle. This is performed on the basis of maturity and digital maturity models, and company growth theories. A number of studies and models have been prepared to determine digital maturity on the basis of various sectoral criteria, but these are all one-dimensional. The study therefore proposes a multi-dimensional model for determining the digital maturity life-cycle of small and medium-sized enterprises that takes into account companies’ digital maturity, the IT intensity of various sectors and their organizational characteristics. The model defines five maturity levels together with their relevant characteristics, classified into three levels in terms of data- information. It can help small and medium-sized enterprises adopt more accurate decisions regarding areas in need of development

Transformación de la reproducción del capital humano en el contexto de la economía digital

The relevance of the study is determined by the fact that the processes of reproduction of human capital with the most recent quality characteristics, skills, and competencies are actively evolving in the context of the digital transformation of the economy. The goal of the article is to study transformation processes and to identify the main characteristics of the reproduction of human capital in the context of digital and technological transformation. The empirical base of the study is represented by the data from the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, as well as from reports and statistical books of the National Research University Higher School of Economics on the development of human capital and digital economy in Russia. The methodological basis of the study includes a systemic and holistic approach, retrospective, evolutionary, monographic, and comparative logical analysis, content analysis of scientific literature and empirical sources, as well as methods of generalization and systematization. The stages of the evolution of human capital have been identified and described in the course of the study; a model of the evolution of the human capital structure in the digital economy has been formed, including its traditional and new characteristics; the physical, intellectual, socioindustrial, and digital (technological) components of the reproduction of human capital in the Russian Federation and the Central Federal District have been analyzed. The conclusion has been drawn of the need to transform the mechanisms of the reproduction of human capital for the formation of new digital and technological competencies and for overcoming the divergence of technogenesis and anthropogenesis.La relevancia del estudio está determinada por el hecho de que los procesos de reproducción del capital humano con las características de calidad, habilidades y competencias más recientes están evolucionando activamente en el contexto de la transformación digital de la economía. El objetivo del artículo es estudiar los procesos de transformación e identificar las principales características de la reproducción del capital humano en el contexto de la transformación digital y tecnológica. La base empírica del estudio está representada por los datos del Servicio de Estadísticas del Estado Federal de la Federación de Rusia, así como por los informes y libros estadísticos de la Escuela Superior de Economía de la Universidad Nacional de Investigación sobre el desarrollo del capital humano y la economía digital en Rusia. La base metodológica del estudio incluye un enfoque sistémico y holístico, análisis retrospectivo, evolutivo, monográfico y lógico comparativo, análisis de contenido de la literatura científica y fuentes empíricas, así como métodos de generalización y sistematización. Las etapas de la evolución del capital humano se han identificado y descrito en el curso del estudio; se ha formado un modelo de evolución de la estructura del capital humano en la economía digital, incluyendo sus características tradicionales y nuevas; Se han analizado los componentes físicos, intelectuales, socioindustriales y digitales (tecnológicos) de la reproducción del capital humano en la Federación de Rusia y el Distrito Federal Central. Se ha llegado a la conclusión de la necesidad de transformar los mecanismos de reproducción del capital humano para la formación de nuevas competencias digitales y tecnológicas y para superar la divergencia de la tecnogénesis y la antropogénesis

Online, Digital or Distance? – Spread of Narratives in ICT-Supported Education

Digitization and digitalization have transformed educational practices. The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a sudden change in the mode of the delivery of education and forced schools and universities to relocate education to digital platforms and revolutionize educational processes. The shift to online platforms brought terms like digital education/learning, online education/learning, blended and hybrid education/learning to the forefront, while traditional terms like eLearning, distance learning and mobile learning remain popular. This paper studies these terms and by backing the educational process redesign with ICT development and the time-space-group dimensions, it highlights the viral nature of the narratives of the terms

IT Leadership in Transition - The Impact of Digitalization on Finnish Organizations

Digitalization is transforming business models across industries. As information technology (IT) is becoming embedded in products and services, IT leadership has an increasingly dualistic role in supporting the organization and also serving its customers' changing needs. The ACIO research program studied how Finnish industry and public sector organizations utilize information technology in developing and managing critical business capabilities. The focus was on understanding and analyzing contemporary approaches to IT leadership. This research report summarizes some of the key research findings, providing scholars and practitioners with insights into and understanding of digitalization and changes in IT leadership in Finnish informationintensive organizations