Egil Øvrelid

• Svahn, Fredrik & Øvrelid, Egil (2026). Identifying Digital Innovation Through Discursive Cohesion: A Statement-Based Computational Approach. In Brocke, Jan vom (Eds.), ECIS 2026 Proceedings. Association for Information Systems (AIS). Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Digital innovation research provides valuable insights into how firms should organize, govern, and strategize around digital technologies. However, identifying where digital innovation materializes within organizations remains challenging. Using AI to analyze organizational language offers a promising way forward, as innovation emerges through employee discourse. Yet standard computational methods face a limitation: embedding-based models trained on public text cannot capture specialized jargon signaling organizational practices. We develop and validate a discourse-based approach to identifying digital innovation initiatives (DIIs) through discursive cohesion. This concept describes how employees develop specialized language to coordinate action around digital technologies. We computationally operationalize Foucault’s statements by isolating organizational-specific jargon and using it as clustering features. Analyzing employee profiles at a European automaker, we surfaced two DIIs: one visible collaboration within organizational structure and one latent collaboration dispersed across boundaries. The latent DII demonstrates that discursive cohesion characterizes employee-driven innovation even when formal organizational ties are absent.

• Øvrelid, Egil; Bygstad, Bendik & Hanseth, Ole (2025). Making Sense of Discursive Formations and Program Shifts in Large-Scale Digital Infrastructures. Journal of the AIS. 26(1), p. 95–127. doi: 10.17705/1jais.00899. Full text in Research Archive
• Bygstad, Bendik & Øvrelid, Egil (2024). Towards digital agility: the best practices for e-health. Procedia Computer Science. 239, p. 2022–2029. doi: 10.1016/j.procs.2024.06.388. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this study we investigate a pertinent question; how should CIOs in the health sector relate to best digital practices as they can be inferred from current research? We have chosen to frame our investigation with digital agility, the ability to sense and respond using digital resources. Differentiating between conceptual and instrumental relevance, the aim of the study is to establish a base on digital agility in current IS research, and then move on to best practices. Our analysis built on current research, in particular Grover’s (2021) four tenets of digital agility, and our own case studies in e-health through a decade. We identified four best digital agile practices in e-health; (i) redesign systems gradually though platformisation, (ii) define (broadly) ecosystem structure and roles, (iii) use data for action, and (iv) establish a governance model that supports two-speed innovation.

• Bojer, Casper Solheim; Bygstad, Bendik & Øvrelid, Egil (2024). Speeding up Explorative BPM with Lightweight IT: the Case of Machine Learning. Information Systems Frontiers. ISSN 1387-3326. p. 1–18. doi: 10.1007/s10796-024-10474-1. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In the modern digital age, companies need to be able to quickly explore the process innovation affordances of digital technologies. This includes exploration of Machine Learning (ML), which when embedded in processes can augment or automate decisions. BPM research suggests using lightweight IT (Bygstad, Journal of Information Technology, 32(2), 180–193 2017) for digital process innovation, but existing research provides conflicting views on whether ML is lightweight or heavyweight. We therefore address the research question “How can Lightweight IT contribute to explorative BPM for embedded ML?” by analyzing four action cases from a large Danish manufacturer. We contribute to explorative BPM by showing that lightweight ML considerably speeds up opportunity assessment and technical implementation in the exploration process thus reducing process innovation latency. We furthermore show that succesful lightweight ML requires the presence of two enabling factors: 1) loose coupling of the IT infrastructure, and 2) extensive use of building blocks to reduce custom development.

• Øvrelid, Egil & Wang, Zhiyi (2024). Restructuring Digital Infrastructures: Architectural Transformation through Sociotechnical Interplay in large-scale incumbent organizations. NIKT: Norsk IKT-konferanse for forskning og utdanning. ISSN 1892-0713. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Large incumbent organizations are increasingly compelled to modularize their IT architecture to stay competitive. This architectural transformation entails navigating technical, organizational, and managerial dimensions, warranting a socio-technical perspective. Although extensive research has been conducted on this topic, a deeper understanding of how incumbent organizations manage this complex process, and its outcomes remains necessary. Our research question thus explores how Digital Infrastructures can be restructured to support architectural transformation in large-scale incumbent organizations. We conceptualize digital infrastructures as multilayered sociotechnical entities, characterized by greater complexity than standalone IT systems and more diversity than digital platforms. Our study focuses on a prominent Norwegian bank undergoing architectural transformation. We identify three restructuring activities integral to the architectural transformation of incumbent organizations: bundling business and IT, modularizing the operational foundation, and fostering a learning culture. Restructuring activities constitute a multidimensional framework that encapsulates the sociotechnical interplay essential for performing architectural transformation.

• Kjekshus, Lars Erik & Øvrelid, Egil (2024). Den norske demokratiske arbeidslivsmodellen i møte med plattformteknologi – en holistisk analyse av ulike ståsteder på tre nivåer. Magma forskning og viten. ISSN 1500-0788. 27, p. 100–108. doi: 10.23865/magma.v27.1448. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Fremtidens arbeidsliv krever stor omstillingsevne. Historisk har omstillingsevnen blitt sett på som en styrke ved det norske arbeidslivet. Vil dette gjelde også i møte med plattformteknologi? Plattformteknologi ses som nyskapende, nyliberalistisk og med uavhengige arbeidstakere og ofte med uavklarte arbeidsgiverforhold som utfordrer den tradisjonelle norske arbeidslivsmodellen. Hvordan kan plattformteknologi belyses som fenomen og samtidig gi oss mer kunnskap om den norske arbeidslivsmodellens styrker og svakheter? Vi tar utgangspunkt i antakelsen om at demokrati på arbeidsplassen er et mangefasettert fenomen, fra spenningen mellom arbeidsgivers styringsrett på den ene siden til reguleringer og arbeidstakers medbestemmelsesrett på den andre. Fougnerutvalget, som så på den norske modellen og fremtidens arbeidsliv, viste at det var spenninger i oppfattelsen av behovet for reguleringer og hvordan det norske arbeidslivet skal møte plattformteknologien. I denne artikkelen ønsker vi å beskrive fremveksten av plattformteknologien og på hvilken måte den utfordrer den norske arbeidslivsmodellen. Vi argumenterer for at fagdiskusjonen preges av å foregå innenfor fastlagte rammer av den norske arbeidslivsmodellen og ikke i tilstrekkelig grad utfordres av nye perspektiver. For å belyse denne problemstillingen presenterer vi sentrale studier av plattformteknologi og arbeidslivsstudier. Dette setter vi inn i et analytisk rammeverk med tre nivåer og tre ulike definisjoner av plattformteknologi som synliggjør utfordringer med den norske arbeidslivsmodellen i møte med plattformteknologien. Vi argumenterer for at plattformteknologi er et eksempel på en disruptiv teknologi som vil kreve en utvikling av den norske arbeidslivsmodellen og en utvidet forståelse for utfordringer på flere nivåer

• Ajer, Anne Kristin Sortehaug & Øvrelid, Egil (2023). Integrating Digital Innovation Mechanisms in Digital Infrastructures: The Case of Digital Remote Care. Health Services Insights (HSI Journal). 16. doi: 10.1177/11786329231200704. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Digital innovation (DIN) is crucial for managing the growth of resource use in the hospital sector and for providing citizens with services aligned with the requirements of the modern world. DIN includes the co-creation of novel services, such as digital remote care (DRC) solutions. The healthcare sector, with a plethora of applications, is an example of a large digital infrastructure. Our study aims to explore how DRC initiatives can be integrated in large-scale digital infrastructures. Our in-depth case study, which explores 72 different DRC trajectories at 9 hospital health trusts in Norway, reveals the dynamic interplay among 3 key mechanisms – idealistic entrepreneurship, anchoring and remote infrastructure. Our contribution to the DIN literature is a model that shows the interplay among these key mechanisms, which increases the innovation pace, improves the innovations’ scalability and provides a robust organisation that constantly implements innovations. As a contributions to DRC practice, lessons learned to speed up the innovation pace are offered: (1) Create a DRC organisational structure. (2) Ensure financial predictability. (3) secure anchoring upward in the governance structure. (4) Make the remote infrastructure appropriate for integration with the current digital infrastructure. (5) Advocate the success across the organisation to spur others to innovate.

• Øvrelid, Egil; Bygstad, Bendik; Ludvigsen, Sten Runar & Dæhlen, Morten (2023). Dual Digitalization: A Framework for Digital Transformations of Higher Education. In Pinheiro, Romulo; Tømte, Cathrine Edelhard; Barman, Linda; Degn, Lise & Geschwind, Lars (Ed.), Digital Transformations in Nordic Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan. ISSN 9783031277580. p. 53–74. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-27758-0_3. Full text in Research Archive
• Øvrelid, Egil (2023). Exploring adaptive mirroring in healthcare IT architectures. Health Systems. ISSN 2047-6965. doi: 10.1080/20476965.2023.2182238. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Digital transformation is demanding for incumbent organizations such as healthcare, where legacy-based IT architectures challenge the establishment of effective digital services. We refer to this as the IT silo problem, where multiple non-consolidated IT systems are implemented to support expert practices. In this paper, we analyze this challenge using a mirroring lens. Our research question is, how can we create efficient digital services, utilizing the existing legacy systems in healthcare IT architectures? Our empirical evidence comes from a Norwegian case and contributes to the literature on IT architecture within Healthcare. First, we demonstrate how strict mirroring leading to sub-optimization and silofication is a major cause for the presence of IT silos. Second, we describe a process towards adaptive mirroring, and the resulting adaptive mirroring architecture. Adaptive mirroring is an architectural combinatory device that facilitates the design and use of efficient services, while also improving the flexibility of IT architectures.

• Ajer, Anne Kristin Sortehaug & Øvrelid, Egil (2023). Institutionalization of Digital Innovation Practices in Large and Complex User Organizations. Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS). ISSN 1530-1605. p. 3065–3074. Full text in Research Archive
• Costabile, Carolina & Øvrelid, Egil (2023). Identifying governance mechanisms for data sharing in collaborative platform ecosystems, Proceedings of the European Conference on Information Systems ECIS 2023. Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9781958200087. Full text in Research Archive
• Ajer, Anne Kristin Sortehaug & Øvrelid, Egil (2023). Architecture work: Modes of Architecting in large-scale infrastructures, Proceedings of the European Conference on Information Systems ECIS 2023. Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9781958200087. Full text in Research Archive
• Øvrelid, Egil; Moseng, Olav Haaland & Vinje, Ludvig Oftedal (2023). Operational Backbone Work: Modernization Activities in the Migration of Monolith-Oriented IT Architectures. NIKT: Norsk IKT-konferanse for forskning og utdanning. ISSN 1892-0713. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  To cope with new digital markets, incumbent financial organizations need to modernize their monolithic system portfolio to a more flexible and efficient form. This has proven to be quite challenging since the existing systems are tightly integrated with historical practices. We frame the portfolio as the operational backbone (OB) and ask what are the key activities of OB work in monolithic systems migration, and what is the outcome of such a migration process? We chose a case study approach to grasp a complex issue within a real-life context: a big financial institution embarking on a digital journey to modernize its core systems. Our contribution is a migration model that describes three key modernization activities attributed to OB Work, and the role of these activities in modernizing the IT portfolio from a fragmented to a more coherent and flexible OB

• Øvrelid, Egil; Bygstad, Bendik & Williams, Robin (2022). Service AutoService Automation in the Public Sectormation in the Public Sector. Progress in IS. ISSN 2196-8705. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-92644-1. Full text in Research Archive
• Øvrelid, Egil (2022). Exploring the Alignment between Digital Strategies and Educational Practices in Higher Education Infrastructures. Education Sciences. 12(10). doi: 10.3390/educsci12100711. Full text in Research Archive
• Bygstad, Bendik; Iden, Jon & Øvrelid, Egil (2022). The emergence of a national collaborative digital ecosystem. A study of one-citizen-one-health-record in Norway. NIKT: Norsk IKT-konferanse for forskning og utdanning. ISSN 1892-0713. 2. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Developing national e-health solutions has proved to be quite challenging in most countries. However, the coming of digital ecosystems have changed our understanding of how to deal with this type of large-scale socio-technical complexity. Platform ecosystems is not only a technical structure, but a new organisational form, which builds on a particular governance-architecture configuration. How can these insights contribute to improve the national e-health structures? How can we transform a fragmented e-health infrastructure into a national collaborative ecosystem? Our framework is the idea of a collaborative digital ecosystem, characterised by collaborative architecture and collaborative governance. Our empirical evidence is the gradual emergence of the e-health ecosystem of Norway, which we studied over a decade, from 2011 to 2022. We offer two contributions. First, we discuss how to orchestrate a collaborative architecture-governance configuration, focusing on complementary roles, the need for a self-reinforcing process, and the balance of control and autonomy. Second, we point to the role of attractors, ie, architectural and governance elements that work as gravitational forces, in shaping of the ecosystem.

• Bygstad, Bendik; Øvrelid, Egil; Ludvigsen, Sten Runar & Dæhlen, Morten (2022). From dual digitalization to digital learning space: Exploring the digital transformation of higher education. Computers & Education. ISSN 0360-1315. 182. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104463. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Inspired by the fast digitalization during the Covid-19 crisis, we investigate a key aspect of digital transformation of higher education – the emergence of a digital learning space. In developing our analysis, we focus on two streams of digitalization in higher education; digitalization of education and digitalization of subjects. We call this dual digitalization, which has been an obstacle for digital transformation of the sector, and made it challenging to develop a shared digital space. Our research question is, how can we develop a shared digital learning space in higher education? We conducted our study at the University of Oslo, where we analyzed three phases of digitalization. We identified three underlying forces of the digital learning space. First, the alignment of digital education and digital subjects provided a technical foundation. Second, the digital learning space was enacted and harnessed by redefinition of roles between students and teachers, allowing for new and deeper learning forms. And third, the digital learning space enables universities to transcend the physical and institutional borders, and engage in interactions with the broader society.

• Øvrelid, Egil (2021). Investigating the IT Silo problem: From Strict to Adaptive mirroring between IT Architecture and Organisational Health Services. NOKOBIT: Norsk konferanse for organisasjoners bruk av informasjonsteknologi. ISSN 1892-0748. 2. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  A crucial problem reducing efficient information flow within healthcare is the pres-ence of siloed IT architectures. Siloed IT Architectures causes disruptive and disconnected infor-mation flow within and between health institutions, and complicates the establishment of quali-tative health services to practitioners and citizens. In this paper, we analyze this challenge using a mirroring lens. Our research question is, how can we establish a supportive IT architecture that reduces the IT silo problem? Our empirical evidence comes from a case in Norway, where we analyzed a transformation initiative on the national, regional, and local levels. Our investigation into the IT silo problem contributes to the literature on information flow and IT architecture within healthcare in two ways. First, we find that strict mirroring that leads to sub-optimization and silofication, is a major cause for the presence of IT silos. Second, we demonstrate how adap-tive mirroring – a modular strategy for combining global and local requirements in IT architecture – improves the changeability and manageability of IT architectures.

• Bygstad, Bendik & Øvrelid, Egil (2021). Managing two-speed innovation for digital transformation. Procedia Computer Science. 181, p. 119–126. doi: 10.1016/j.procs.2021.01.111. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this study, we propose that the concept of two-speed innovation is a fruitful approach to understand and manage digital innovation and transformation. The main argument is that two-speed innovation leverages the new organisational forms of the digital age, such as infrastructures and platform ecosystems. Our research questions are, (i) how does two-speed innovation support digital transformation, and (ii) how can managers leverage two-speed configurations? We developed an analytical framework to understand the managerial options of two-speed innovation. To assess it we investigated the digital transformation of four large organisations. We identified four two-speed configurations, describe how the two-speed dynamics unfold and discuss managerial options for managing them.

• Øvrelid, Egil; Bygstad, Bendik & Thomassen, Gard (2021). TSD: A Research Platform for Sensitive Data. Procedia Computer Science. 181, p. 127–134. doi: 10.1016/j.procs.2021.01.112. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Digitalisation has led to a strong increase of research data, but most of these data are managed in unsatisfactory ways, and research data management has been characterized as a “wicked problem”. Several research data platforms have been launched, but security and privacy issues remain. Our research question is how can a research platform for sensitive data be built and used? Based on platform research, we propose a framework to analyze requirements. Our empirical evidence is a research platform called TSD, i.e. a platform for sensitive data. We analyze the development of TSD and offer two contributions; first, we discuss a framework to understand the architectural requirements for a research data platform, and second, we show how a research platform can be developed through a process of platformization.

• Iden, Jon; Bygstad, Bendik; Osmundsen, Karen Sæbbø; Costabile, Carolina & Øvrelid, Egil (2021). Digital Platform Ecosystem Governance: Preliminary Findings and Research Agenda. NOKOBIT: Norsk konferanse for organisasjoners bruk av informasjonsteknologi. ISSN 1892-0748. 2. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper explores collaborative governance in digital platform ecosystems and the governance challenges that may occur in such environments. We analyze three different digital platform ecosystems and identify six unresolved key governance issues that we believe are central to the type of digital platform ecosystems we address. This paper has three contributions. First, we add to the literature on digital platform ecosystems by revealing a set of governance challenges regarding ecosystem forming and sustainability. Second, our findings may serve as recommendations for organizations that are planning to establish or that are already running an ecosystem based on a digital platform. Third, we contribute to digital platform ecosystem research by proposing an agenda for future research in this area.

• Øvrelid, Egil; Grøttum, Per & Westbye, Hilde (2020). Digital strategies in Higher Education: A comparative study of digitalisation at law and medicine. European Journal of Higher Education IT – EJHEIT. ISSN 2519-1764. Full text in Research Archive
• Øvrelid, Egil & Sanner, Terje Aksel (2020). Sense-able process innovation in digital health infrastructures. Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems (SJIS). ISSN 0905-0167. 32(1), p. 81–116. Full text in Research Archive
• Bygstad, Bendik & Øvrelid, Egil (2020). Architectural alignment of process innovation and digital infrastructure in a high-tech hospital. European Journal of Information Systems. ISSN 0960-085X. p. 220–237. doi: 10.1080/0960085X.2020.1728201. Full text in Research Archive
• Øvrelid, Egil & Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk (2019). FROM RECOMBINATION TO RECONFIGURATION:AFFORDING PROCESS INNOVATION IN DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURES. In Johannesson, Paul; Ågerfalk, Pär J. & Helms, Remko (Ed.), Proceedings of the 27th European Conferenceon Information Systems (ECIS), Stockholm & Uppsala, Sweden, June 8-14, 2019. Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9781733632508. Full text in Research Archive
• Vassilakopoulou, Polyxeni; Øvrelid, Egil & Aanestad, Margunn (2019). Expanding hospital infrastructures: boundary resources for peripheral actors. Reports of the European Society for Socially Embedded Technologies. doi: 10.18420/ihc2019_011. Full text in Research Archive
• Aanestad, Margunn; Vassilakopoulou, Polyxeni & Øvrelid, Egil (2019). Collaborative Innovation in Healthcare: Boundary Resources for Peripheral Actors, Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Systems - Information Systems - the Heart of Innovation Ecosystems, ICIS 2019. Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9780996683197. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Realizing the potential of digital technologies in hospital care requires collaborative innovation among multiple actors both within and beyond hospitals. Our research investigates the question: what does it take to foster collaborative innovation within a traditionally siloed and closed health information infrastructure? Empirical findings are derived from three cases, which we analyze by focusing on how innovation relates to interfaces with hospitals’ information infrastructures. We draw on literature on digital platforms and innovation ecosystems and focus on the notion of boundary resources to characterize these innovation interfaces. While this notion has mainly addressed the concerns of platform owners for ‘securing’ and ‘resourcing’ their platforms, our analysis also points to resources related to peripheral actors’ needs, specifically ‘discovering’ and ‘vesting’ resources. Discovering resources assist innovators in making sense of possibilities and limitations, while vesting resources relate to value appropriation. These resources are crucial for collaborative innovation in existing hospital information infrastructures.

• Sanner, Terje Aksel & Øvrelid, Egil (2019). Informating Hospital Workflow Coordination. Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). ISSN 0925-9724. doi: 10.1007/s10606-019-09362-z. Full text in Research Archive
• Bygstad, Bendik; Øvrelid, Egil; Lie, Thomas & Bergquist, Magnus (2019). Developing and Organizing an Analytics Capability for Patient Flow in a General Hospital. Information Systems Frontiers. ISSN 1387-3326. p. 1–12. doi: 10.1007/s10796-019-09920-2. Full text in Research Archive
• Øvrelid, Egil & Bygstad, Bendik (2019). The role of discourse in transforming digital infrastructures. Journal of Information Technology. ISSN 0268-3962. 34(3), p. 221–242. doi: 10.1177/0268396219831994. Full text in Research Archive
• Øvrelid, Egil; Sanner, Terje Aksel & Siebenherz, Anette (2018). Creating Coordinative Paths from admission to discharge: The role of lightweight IT in hospital digital process innovation. In Bui, Tung (Eds.), Proceedings of the 51st Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences 2018 (HICSS-51). Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9780998133119. p. 3160–3169. doi: 10.24251/hicss.2018.399. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this paper, we examine the role of IT in process innovations related to patient flow from emergency care admission, through subsequent patient transfers, and discharge. In particular, we explore how digital technology helps create and improve coordinative paths. We find that the interplay between traditional "heavyweight IT" (resilient, secure and stable) and "lightweight IT" (mobile, context-aware and flexible) enable process innovation in complex health care settings. Drawing on Zuboffs "informate" perspective, we highlight the strength of digital information technology as a process innovation enabler. We provide two contributions. First, we shed light on the innovative capacity of lightweight IT as a flexible, dynamic and distributed technology for process innovation. Second, using Garud and Kumaraswamys framework of vicious and virtuous circles, we identify and discuss potential positive and negative outcomes of process innovation. URL for til publications is: http://hdl.handle.net/10125/50287

• Øvrelid, Egil & Halvorsen, Marit Røed (2018). Supporting Process Innovation with Lightweight IT at an Emergency Unit. Journal of Integrated Design & Process Science. ISSN 1092-0617. 22(2), p. 27–44. doi: 10.3233/jid-2018-0009. Full text in Research Archive
• Øvrelid, Egil & Halvorsen, Marit Røed (2018). Process Innovation With Lightweight It at an Emergency Unit. In Bui, Tung (Eds.), Proceedings of the 51st Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences 2018 (HICSS-51). Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9780998133119. p. 3101–3110. doi: 10.24251/hicss.2018.392. Full text in Research Archive
• Sanner, Terje Aksel & Øvrelid, Egil (2018). Enabling responsive hospital housekeeping with workflow IT. NOKOBIT: Norsk konferanse for organisasjoners bruk av informasjonsteknologi. ISSN 1892-0748. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Workflow oriented use of IT in hospitals can increase resource utilization, patient satisfaction and patient throughput, by integrating and aligning work processes. However, the role of hospital support staff, such as porters and housekeepers in interdepartmental workflow coordination has received scant attention. With digitally integrated workflows, the influence of support services on patient flow becomes visible and open to scrutiny and explication. Empirically, we follow efforts to leverage IT to improve workflow coordination at Kalnes general hospital in Norway. Specifically, we employ the Theory of Swift and Even Flow to examine the influence workflow oriented use of IT has on housekeeping responsiveness to patient flow variability and temporary patient flow bottlenecks. We find that efforts to improve workflow coordination introduces novel ramifications for hospital housekeeping and that IT serves both as a real time coordinative tool and as a source for post hoc data analysis and process streamlining. In particular, we identify and discuss three maturity levels of IT mediated workflow coordination, which we refer to as workflow transparency, synchronization and responsiveness. We find that workflow oriented use of IT can raise the responsiveness of hospital support services through a combination of interdepartmental transparency and improved synchronization. Importantly, workflow integration can reveal interdependencies that impinge on the productivity of support staff but are beyond their immediate influence. Consequently, it is important to involve often-overlooked hospital support services directly in the planning and evaluation of workflow-oriented use of IT.

• Øvrelid, Egil; Bygstad, Bendik & Hanseth, Ole (2017). DISCURSIVE FORMATIONS AND SHIFTING STRATEGIES IN E-HEALTH PROGRAMMES. In Ramos, Isabel; Tuunainen, Virpi Kristiina & Krcmar, Helmut (Ed.), The 25th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS). Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9789892076553. p. 873–886. Full text in Research Archive
• Øvrelid, Egil; Sanner, Terje Aksel & Siebenherz, Anette (2017). From admission to discharge: Informating patient flow with lightweight IT. NOKOBIT: Norsk konferanse for organisasjoners bruk av informasjonsteknologi. ISSN 1892-0748. Full text in Research Archive
• Bygstad, Bendik; Hanseth, Ole; Siebenherz, Anette & Øvrelid, Egil (2017). Process Innovation Meets Digital Infrastructure in a High-Tech Hospital. In Ramos, Isabel; Tuunainen, Virpi Kristiina & Krcmar, Helmut (Ed.), The 25th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS). Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9789892076553. p. 801–814. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Digitalisation is usually about process innovation with the use of IT, i.e. automating or informating organisational processes. However, redesigned processes are often misaligned with the underlying digital infrastructure. For instance, improving patient logistics with the help of IT is a key aim for current e-health initiatives, but has proven to be quite challenging in practice, and is sparsely dealt with in the literature. Our research question is, how can a process innovation initiative successfully interact with an underlying digital infrastructure? Our empirical evidence is an in-depth case study at a new high-tech hospital in Norway. Building on a proposed framework of interaction between process innovation and digital infrastructure, we identify and analyse two governance and two architectural mechanisms. Theoretically, we contribute to the digital infrastructure research by proposing a configuration for successful process innovation, in a complex e-health context. For practitioners, we show that lightweight IT can serve as a mediating technology in the configuration.

• Øvrelid, Egil & Halvorsen, Marit Røed (2016). Improving patient flow through lightweight technology. NOKOBIT: Norsk konferanse for organisasjoners bruk av informasjonsteknologi. ISSN 1892-0748. Full text in Research Archive
• Øvrelid, Egil; Bygstad, Bendik & Hanseth, Ole (2016). Establishing spaces of interplay: the role of discourse in the growth of information infrastructures. IADIS International Journal on Computer Science and Information System. 11(2), p. 31–45. Full text in Research Archive
• Øvrelid, Egil & Bygstad, Bendik (2016). Extending e-health infrastructures with lightweight IT. Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing. ISSN 1865-1348. 259, p. 43–56. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-43597-8_4. Full text in Research Archive

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• Bygstad, Bendik; Øvrelid, Egil & Thomas, Lie (2018). Establishing an Analytics Capability in a Hospital. Springer. ISBN 9783030043155. 12 p. Full text in Research Archive

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• Øvrelid, Egil; Helmersen, Andrea & Cej, Madin (2025). Emerging Knowledge Networks in the Architectural Transformation of Digital Infrastructures | Norsk IKT-konferanse for forskning og utdanning. doi: 10.5324/af03j778. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  For large incumbent organizations undergoing architectural transformation, knowledge is paramount. In the literature, knowledge is often fragmented, focusing either on individual systems or large corporate systems. Additionally, existing research tends to concentrate on how legacy systems can be made competitive or on the technical implications of transformation. In this paper, we adopt an infrastructure perspective to examine the knowledge networks that emerge during such transformations. We pose the question: How do knowledge networks emerge, and how are they organized to facilitate architectural transformation within digital infrastructures? Our study focuses on a prominent Norwegian bank that is currently undergoing an architectural transformation. We contribute to the discourse by developing a framework for "domain technical knowledge," encompassing three types of knowledge that collectively form a cohesive knowledge network. Furthermore, we demonstrate the horizontal and vertical alignment between these different knowledge types, illustrating how knowledge networks emerge.

• Øvrelid, Egil (2025). Managing the Socio-Technical Interplay of Architecture, Business, and Learning in Architectural Transformation. The case of finance. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Large-scale incumbent organizations face pressure to modularize their IT architecture to maintain competitiveness. This transformation involves navigating technical, organizational, and business dimensions, favoring a socio-technical perspective. Traditionally, IS literature views IT architecture as a support mechanism for business operations. However, emerging digital technologies exert influence that reshapes physical realities. We propose an IT architecture viewpoint that prioritizes technology as a catalyst for organizational change. Our research question is how can architectural transformation be managed in large-scale incumbent organizations? The empirical evidence is a study of a large-scale financial institution in Norway, where we analyse an architectural transformation process. We offer two contributions; first, we identify three core processes and demonstrate their connection. Second, we theorize architectural transformation by comparing it with three important IS streams. Through this, we distinguish between architecture-as-servant and architecture-as-transformer and propose that architectural transformation more explicitly focuses on the role of IT architecture in transformation processes.

• Ajer, Anne Kristin Sortehaug & Øvrelid, Egil (2023). Institutionalization of Digital Innovation Practices in Large and Complex User Organizations. Full text in Research Archive
• Øvrelid, Egil; Moseng, Olav Haaland & Vinje, Ludvig Oftedal (2023). Operational Backbone Work: Modernization Activities in the Migration of Monolith-Oriented IT Architectures. Full text in Research Archive
• Øvrelid, Egil & Kjekshus, Lars Erik (2022). I møte med plattformteknologien trenger arbeidstakerne fagforeninger som klarer å omstille seg. Digitaliser fagforeningene. p. 20–21. Full text in Research Archive
• Øvrelid, Egil; Bygstad, Bendik; Breivik, Jarle; Nerland, Monika Bærøe; Westbye, Hilde & Kjekshus, Lars Erik [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2021). Hybridundervisning: Nødvendig nyskapning eller digitalisering på ville veier? Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Begrepet hybridundervising har fått en sentral rolle i diskusjonen om digitalisering av høyere utdanning, spesielt under den pågående pandemien. Hybridundervising kan i videste forstand beskrives som en blanding av ulike undervisningsformer, men kan også tolkes mer spesifikt. Det vil si som undervisningsaktiviteter hvor noen studenter og lærere deltar digitalt, mens andre er fysisk tilstede. Denne utviklingen byr på store teknologiske, pedagogiske, organisatoriske og økonomiske utfordringer. I den videre utviklingen av høyere utdanning vil hybridundervisning være et sentralt tema, hvor digitaliseringsskeptikere og digitaliseringsoptimister står mot hverandre.

• Øvrelid, Egil; Bygstad, Bendik & Thomassen, Gard O Sundby (2020). Tsd: A Research Platform For Sensitive Data. Full text in Research Archive
• Øvrelid, Egil; Bygstad, Bendik & Thomassen, Gard O Sundby (2020). TSD: A GENERATIVE RESEARCH PLATFORM IN THE AGE OF THE PANDEMICS. Full text in Research Archive
• Bygstad, Bendik & Øvrelid, Egil (2020). Managing two-speed innovation for digital transformation. Full text in Research Archive
• Bygstad, Bendik; Øvrelid, Egil & Oftedal, Lars Inge (2019). A national digital infrastructure for higher education. Full text in Research Archive
• Øvrelid, Egil; Per, Grøttum & Hilde, Westbye (2019). Strategizing digital infrastructures in Higher Education. Full text in Research Archive
• Øvrelid, Egil & Bygstad, Bendik (2016). Exploring loose coupling in system interaction. Full text in Research Archive
• Øvrelid, Egil; Bygstad, Bendik & Hanseth, Ole (2016). Exploring the Interplay of Discourse and Infrastructure in e-health programmes. Full text in Research Archive
• Øvrelid, Egil (2018). Strategic shifts in digital infrastructures: Connecting discursive formations and lightweight IT. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Digitalization of the health sector is surrounded by major challenges and frequent turbulence also triggered by the collective ownership attached to public sector campaigns. The main reasons for the extensive challenges in eHealth programmes are that these structures are (i) much larger than single organization systems, (ii) technically more heterogeneous and (iii) organizationally more complex because of many stakeholders. Often, no single actor is in control, leading to long processes of power struggles, compromises and complex co-ordination. The results of these endeavours are sometimes dramatic failures but often time consuming, and very expensive projects with slow progress, and that do not deliver according to its promises. Modern innovative technology labelled “lightweight IT” holds the promise of more rapid implementation cycles, less expensive projects and more user friendly technology that allows user driven innovation. Lightweight IT is also modularized and commercialized in a way that makes it easier to acquire and implement in relation with the existing system portfolio. The thesis empirical evidence comes from three cases within eHealth in Norway that chose an alternative strategy in their efforts to facilitate implementation and use of innovative technology. The Medicloud case was trying to establish a boundary resource between clinical systems and 3rd party apps, despite of the courageous discourse they were unable to deliver a proper technology to fulfil the promises. The ambitious Aker case was able to implement a lightweight IT infrastructure that operated apart from the established infrastructure, and successfully improved some of their processes. The innovative project at the new Kalnes hospital in Østfold was the most successful since they were able to implement a lightweight IT system operating together with the established infrastructure leading to a transformed digital infrastructure The cases are analysed using discourse analysis from Michel Foucault and the context-mechanism-outcome configuration from Pawson and Tilley in order to investigate the relation between technological discourse and digital infrastructure. The findings from the case suggest that technological discourse is an important phenomenon within digital innovation, but that these discourses needs to connect to a concrete technology in order to enable a strategic shift. The findings also give indications that lightweight IT makes it easier to change the digital infrastructure. The thesis thus describes an alternative way of obtaining strategic shifts in digital infrastructures.

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