For 1–2 DESIGN or DIGHEL students writing individually or in pairs, in Norwegian or English.
With digitalization and digital innovation, we aim to improve organizations by leveraging the opportunities digital technologies offer. Yet many initiatives are scoped, measured, and evaluated primarily on the delivery of technology, focusing on whether digital tools meet a set of technical requirements, rather than on whether their implementation produces meaningful organizational benefits (for example, more efficient patient treatment or reduced administrative burdens for health personnel in a hospital setting). The risk is that we end up developing and introducing technologies that contribute little, or even negatively, to what the organization is actually trying to achieve.
Results-based contracts, or effektkontrakter in Norwegian, are a relatively new arrangement in the public sector. Their purpose is to commit and incentivize vendors and service providers to work toward real organizational effects, instead of stopping at the delivery of a technical “solution.”
These contracts are beginning to gain traction. They are currently being tested by actors such as NAV and Oslo kommune, and promoted by KS (The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities). Still, we know relatively little about how they can be organized in practice, and what kinds of positive and negative experiences they bring.
In this exploratory project, 1–2 students will investigate this important and timely development. A general guiding question for the project is:
How can results-based contracts (effektkontrakter) be used in digitalization and digital innovation initiatives in public sector contexts?
Project components
The project will involve three main parts:
- Document analysis of reports and other material describing models for and experiences with results-based contracts in digitalization. The primary focus will be on Norway, but with an international outlook.
- Literature review of research on results-based contracts and related arrangements.
- Case study: Identify one or more Norwegian cases where results-based contracts have been used, and conduct a qualitative study of the approaches and experiences.
Outcome
The project will shed light on a new, relevant, and underexplored phenomenon. In addition to generating important knowledge for both research and practice, the project will provide students with experience and insights directly relevant to future work in digitalization and digital innovation management, or in research.
Learn more?
Interested or want to learn more? Don’t hesitate to contact Magnus Li.