Understanding Digital Transformation in Government

Abstract

AbstractThe term “digital transformation” has captured the attention of practitioners and academics over the past few years. However, while the term is increasingly being used, conceptual clarity is still needed, especially in the context of government and public organizations. While public and private organizations share several similarities, they also differ in important areas. Public organizations’ goals, values, and strategies are often focused on increasing public good instead of increasing revenue. Therefore, more research is required to understand digital transformation in the context of government and public organizations. In this chapter, we explore digital transformation and, based on a literature review, we conceptualize the terms “digitization”, “digitalization”, and “digital transformation” and discuss how these can be understood in the context of the public sector. Finally, we propose a model of digitization, digitalization, and digital transformation and suggest how these terms are conceptually related.