Digital Decoupling: A Population Study of Digital Transformation Strategies in Swedish Municipalities

Abstract

Abstract. Digital transformation is advocated as a strategic imperative for public sector organizations. With the increased permeability of digital technologies in society, i.e., the digitalization of society, public sector organizations need to find novel ways of utilizing the technology to meet new and fluctuating demands from their citizens. This study approaches the issue of digital transformation strategies through a strategy-As-practice perspective. Through collecting and analyzing all available top-level annual steering documents from Sweden's 290 municipalities in 2021, we employ content analysis to identify the current direction of digital transformation activities. The study finds that the dominant direction of digital transformation in Swedish municipalities is focused on internal efficiency, with only minor impacts from contingency factors such as the political majority and financial stature. This is discussed from a perspective of democracy and equal access to digital welfare, highlighting the empirical phenomenon of digital decoupling as a potential problem within digital government warrant of additional study.