ABSTRACT:

Digital technologies and pervasive digitalization has brought new disruptive changes to the economy and led to rapid changes in organizations’ competitive and environmental conditions. Digital innovations and digitalization are fundamentally altering business processes, products, services, and relationships. In the digital era, many organizations need to change the way business is conducted in order to stay relevant. In other words, they are undergoing a digital transformation. Digital transformations are occurring in a variety of organizations and industries. However, there is limited empirical understanding of what digital transformation entails for an organization, or the effects of digital transformation on organizations. In my research, I aim to reduce this gap and provide in-depth understanding of the phenomenon digital transformation through a longitudinal case study from the energy sector. The energy sector is currently experiencing major challenges due to changes in customer preferences and behaviors, competitive dynamics, and regulations. At the same time, advanced digital technology and digitalization are providing new opportunities and altering the way energy is produced, distributed, and consumed. Organizations in the energy sector need to fundamentally change the way they do business in order to stay relevant. In my research, I will follow the second largest network company in Norway in their digital transformation, in order to develop in-depth understanding of what digital transformation entails and how it can affect an organization.