Exploring the drivers for digital transformation in smart education: An ecosystems approach

Abstract

The adoption of digital technologies in service delivery can modify organizations’ and companies’ structure, infrastructure and relational patterns by (i) changing the nature of interactions between actors and (ii) reframing human attitude, individuals’ intention and users’ involvement in value creation. However, the simple adoption of technology cannot ensure the effective digital transformation of companies. Therefore, to address the disruption of contemporary context, especially in service context such as education- that has been dramatically changed by pandemic - users’ willingness to use technology and their digital culture should be enhanced to exploit the innovation opportunities involved in the use of technology. Hence, this paper rereads smart education as a service ecosystem to investigate: 1) the impact of technology on actor’s interactions and value co-creation, and 2) the different dimensions that can help cities deal with rupture by achieving systems readaptation and transformation. The reinterpretation of smart education as a service ecosystem can allow the identification of the different kinds of technologies and human behaviours (intentions, attitude, citizens’ digital competencies and willingness to use technology) that can act as key enablers for the creation of new rules to coordinate exchanges and interactions and for the transformation of crisis into opportunities for innovation.