Alexander Moltubakk Kempton

• Thunes, Johanne; Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk & Grisot, Miria (2025). Making Health Data Infrastructures. An infrastructuring perspective on data work perspective on data work. Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems (SJIS). ISSN 0905-0167. 37. doi: 10.17705/3SJIS/037.29. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Healthcare organizations strive to become increasingly data-driven. Achieving this vision requires significant efforts to make data accessible, intelligible, and integrated into healthcare practices. In this paper, we explore data work as infrastructuring, focusing on the ongoing practices required to make and maintain data infrastructures in municipal healthcare. Based on an interpretive case study of a Scandinavian health agency, we identify four distinct data infrastructuring work practices: accessing, structuring, reconfiguring, and visualizing data. Our findings show how these practices enable a sociotechnical network of health data embedded in local practices. Through this study, we make three contributions to the research on data work. First, our findings expand the empirical knowledge on data work in healthcare by showing data work in the backrooms of healthcare where data infrastructures are set up and developed. Second, we contribute to the conceptualization of data work by framing it as infrastructuring, meaning data work aimed at enabling a sociotechnical network of health data embedded in local practices. Third, we elaborate on this conceptualization by showing how it involves efforts at transforming data from objects of work to embedded enablers of work.

• Thunes, Johanne & Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk (2025). Digital Adaptivity In Government Organizations. I Li, Magnus; Hylving, Lena & Mønsted, Troels Sune (Red.), The proceedings of the 16th Scandinavian Conference on Information Systems (SCIS) held in Oslo, Norway, 2025. Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9781958200148. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Governments are facing environments that are constantly changing. Being able to adapt in uncertain conditions is, therefore, crucial. In this paper, we investigate what we term digital adaptivity in government organizations. We build on conceptual developments on digital phenomena to better understand how governments can utilize digital technology to become increasingly adaptive. We ask the following research question: “What is digital adaptivity and how is it enabled in government organizations?” To approach this question, we first conceptualize digital adaptivity and define it as the digitally enabled ability to react and adapt to change and variability in an uncertain environment. Second, we study how this potential can be enabled in practice through an empirical case study on the development of a digital health platform in a Scandinavian municipality. We contribute with a theoretical model that illustrates the potential for digital adaptivity in the complex environments of government organizations.

• Grut, Ståle Bjørlykke; Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk & Reinertsen, Hilde (2025). KI og effektivisering: Hvordan GPT-4 fant 155.000 overflødige årsverk i norsk offentlig sektor. Stat & Styring. ISSN 0803-0103. 35(3), s. 3–12. doi: 10.18261/stat.35.3.1. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Den norske staten lover å satse voldsomt på kunstig intelligens (KI). Men hva vet vi egentlig om hvorvidt KI faktisk kan løse oppgavene som visjonene tillegger teknologien? Vi stiller oss undrende til beregningene som underbygger disse visjonene. Vår påstand er at det ikke er samsvar mellom ambisjonenes størrelse og hvor fort de skal innfris på den ene siden, og kunnskapsgrunnlaget for det hele på den andre.

• Thunes, Johanne & Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk (2025). Balancing Insourcing and Outsourcing towards Digital Government: Establishing Obligatory Gateways as an Approach for Targeted Insourcing. I Bui, Tung (Red.), Proceedings of the 58th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS), Hilton Waikoloa Village, January 7-10, 2025. University of Hawai'i at Manoa. ISSN 9780998133188. s. 1946–1955. doi: 10.24251/HICSS.2025.240. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  While outsourcing has been the leading information systems (IS) sourcing trend since the 1980s, we now see more insourcing initiatives in the public sector. In this paper, we investigate how public sector organizations can balance insourcing and outsourcing, by building on the concept of targeted insourcing. We explore an approach of targeted insourcing through a case study on a Scandinavian municipality, who through in-house competence has built a platform that connects insourced and outsourced systems. Our study has two main contributions. First, we contribute to the literature on digital government by showcasing how government organizations can approach IS sourcing. Second, we contribute by expanding existing knowledge on targeted insourcing through identifying and conceptualizing an approach we term establishing obligatory gateways. Finally, we argue that more research is required on how IS sourcing affects digital government initiatives.

• Sanner, Terje Aksel; Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk; Russpatrick, Scott McKee & Sæbø, Johan Ivar (2024). Governing digital platform ecosystems for social options. Information Systems Journal. ISSN 1350-1917. doi: 10.1111/isj.12546. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  To date, there is little insight into how digital platforms might be governed towards the creation of social value. We argue that digital platforms can contribute to the creation of social value by enabling social options. Thus, we are concerned about how digital platform ecosystems may be governed towards the enablement of social options. We report on the results from our longitudinal qualitative case study of a digital platform employed by ministries of health in more than 70 low- and middle-income countries. We trace the formation and subsequent shaping of governance mechanisms employed to enable social options across national borders and domains. We develop a model of platform governance that shows how such mechanisms are shaped over time through resourcing, capacitating and purposing processes. These three processes play distinct yet complementary roles in governing for social options.

• Thunes, Johanne & Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk (2024). Low-code driven backsourcing: A phenomenon-focused case study, The proceedings of the 15th Scandinavian Conference on Information Systems (SCIS). Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9781958200094. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  In this paper, we conceptualize and investigate the emerging phenomenon of low-code driven backsourcing. With the central role of digital technology in contemporary organizations and the challenges of outsourcing strategies, including unmet organizational expectations and the necessity for in-house competence, we explore the integration of low-code development-a development approach requiring minimal coding skills-as a new Information Systems (IS) sourcing approach. By conducting a qualitative case study within a large Scandinavian municipality's development unit, we examine how low-code development facilitates the backsourcing of information systems. Our case study focuses on two teams that successfully replaced vendor-built systems with internally developed ones, leveraging their contextual knowledge of the services they were supporting. This research contributes to the IS field by conceptualizing low-code driven backsourcing as a significant phenomenon. We discuss its impact on sourcing strategies and address the call for more insights into the backsourcing process from a public sector perspective. Through our analysis, we identify characteristics of using low-code for IS backsourcing and propose future research avenues to further understand the implications of this phenomenon.

• Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk; Parmiggiani, Elena & Vasilakopoulou, Polyxeni (2023). Accountability in Managing Artificial Intelligence: State of the Art and a way forward for Information Systems Research, Proceedings of the European Conference on Information Systems ECIS 2023. Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9781958200087. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Thunes, Johanne & Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk (2023). Achieving digital transformation in the public sector through targeted insourcing, Proceedings of the European Conference on Information Systems ECIS 2023. Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9781958200087. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Haugjord, Barbro Renland & Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk (2022). Achieving Data Innovation for Sustainable Energy solutions. I Matook, Sabine (Red.), Proceedings of the 30th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2022). Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9781733632560. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Data innovation – the combining and processing of data in novel ways to create value – is emerging as a salient topic for Information Systems research. It is an important phenomenon across empirical domains, including efforts to provide more sustainable energy production and consumption. Practically, we want to know how processes of data innovation can be used to transform the residential energy market in a sustainable direction. In this paper, we therefore ask: How is data innovation achieved to provide sustainable solutions within the residential energy domain? We investigate this question through a qualitative longitudinal case study of a born digital energy platform company that has transformed the household energy scene in Norway in the latter years. Through this study, we contribute with knowledge on data innovation, the processes that enable it, and more specifically, how data innovation can enable sustainable solutions contributing to achieving the UN SDGs.

• Schultz, Christian Ringstad & Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk (2022). Governance Challenges in Open Government Data Ecosystems: A Case Study from the Financial Sector in Norway. I Bui, Tung (Red.), The proceedings of the 55th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. University of Hawai'i at Manoa. ISSN 9780998133157. s. 2584–2593. doi: 10.24251/HICSS.2022.321. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  In this paper, we examine how the couplings between different stakeholders in an ecosystem creates data governance challenges regarding four topics: maturity, goals, data access, and data quality. Ecosystem and platform governance theory lacks real-life cases and is more focused on single-level than multi-level ecosystems. By examining three subcases in a data ecosystem in the Norwegian financial sector, we found that the complexity of an ecosystem is greater than what is portrayed by existing theory. This paper provides insights into ecosystems and their complexities and highlights important topics for understanding the governance challenges associated with loose coupling between stakeholders. Paths for future research are provided as a necessary step toward a better understanding of the governance challenges associated with emerging ecosystems.

• Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk (2022). The digital is different: Emergence and relationality in critical realist research. Information and organization. ISSN 1471-7727. 32(2). doi: 10.1016/j.infoandorg.2022.100408. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  When analyzing empirical phenomena, the implicit or explicit assumptions we have of relationality guide what we take as the primary units of analysis and how we study them. This paper investigates and expands on the notion of relationality and relational explanations in the Critical Realist (CR) paradigm of Information Systems (IS) research. As digital technologies are becoming increasingly adaptive to the social and socio-technical structures they are embedded in, it is necessary to expand the field's conceptual tools in its study of digital phenomena. Therefore, to explain why the digital seems more tightly coupled to social phenomena than other types of technologies, the concept of transformational emergence is introduced. The key argument is that the malleability of digital entities entails that they are disposed to transform by emergence, which is key to understanding the constitutive relationality between the social and the technical in contemporary digital phenomena. This has fundamental implications for CR-based theories in the IS field, most notably Affordance theory and Representation theory.

• Parmiggiani, Elena; Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk & Mikalef, Patrick (2021). Foreword: Living in a digital world? I Parmiggiani, Elena; Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk & Mikalef, Patrick (Red.), Proceedings of the12th Scandinavian Conference on Information Systems (SCIS2021). Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9788230350546. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk & Vassilakopoulou, Polyxeni (2021). Accountability, Transparency and Explainability in AI for Healthcare. Reports of the European Society for Socially Embedded Technologies. doi: 10.18420/ihc2021_018. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  The multiplicity of actors and the opacity of technologies involved in data management, algorithm crafting and systems´ development for the deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare create governance challenges. This study analyzes extant AI governance research in the context of healthcare focusing on accountability, transparency and explainability. We find that a significant part of this body of research lacks conceptual clarity and that the relationship between accountability, transparency and explainability is not fully explored. We also find that papers written back in the 1980s, identify and discuss many of the issues that are currently discussed. Up to today, most published research is only conceptual and brings contributions in the form of frameworks and guidelines that need to be further investigated empirically.

• Fossum, Kristoffer & Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk (2020). Faithfulness in Practice: Towards an Expansion of Representation Theory. I Newell, Sue; Pouloudi, Nancy & Heck, Eric van (Red.), Proceedings of the 28th European Conferenceon Information Systems (ECIS), Marrakech, Morocco/Online, 15 - 17 June 2020. Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9781733632515. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk; Brænden, Kristin; Grisot, Miria & Aanestad, Margunn (2020). Infrastructural Tuning in Public-Private Partnerships. I Newell, Sue; Pouloudi, Nancy & Heck, Eric van (Red.), Proceedings of the 28th European Conferenceon Information Systems (ECIS), Marrakech, Morocco/Online, 15 - 17 June 2020. Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9781733632515. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  In this paper, we study a public-private digital infrastructure to understand the dynamics of its emergence. We explore the interrelation of architectural and governance aspects of the infrastructure, through a longitudinal, embedded case study of the Norwegian Welfare Technology project. We introduce the concept of infrastructural tuning to conceptualize a dynamic of resistance and accommodation over time between the infrastructure’s architecture and implementation and multiple actors’ interests, policy goals and emerging opportunities and challenges. Our study makes three contributions: first, based on the analysis of our case study we provide an understanding of how the architecture of a digital infrastructure can accommodate divergent perspectives and strategies in public-private partnerships; second, we provide a process perspective on digital transformation of the public sector by analyzing the tuning process of the architecture-governance interplay; third, we develop the concept of infrastructural tuning.

• Øvrelid, Egil & Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk (2019). FROM RECOMBINATION TO RECONFIGURATION:AFFORDING PROCESS INNOVATION IN DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURES. I Johannesson, Paul; Ågerfalk, Pär J. & Helms, Remko (Red.), Proceedings of the 27th European Conferenceon Information Systems (ECIS), Stockholm & Uppsala, Sweden, June 8-14, 2019. Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9781733632508. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Grisot, Miria; Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk; Hagen, Laila Garberg & Aanestad, Margunn (2019). Data-work for personalized care: Examining nurses’ practices in remote monitoring of chronic patients. Health Informatics Journal. ISSN 1460-4582. 25(3), s. 608–616. doi: 10.1177/1460458219833110. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk & Grisot, Miria (2019). Real Person, Digital Patient: Representations and Reflective Practices in Remote Care. I Rodriguez-Abitia, Guillermo & Ferran, Carlos (Red.), MCIS 2019 PROCEEDINGS. Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9780996683180. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk (2019). THE DIGITAL IS DIFFERENT: A REALIST REINTERPRETATION OF SOCIOMATERIALITY. I Johannesson, Paul; Ågerfalk, Pär J. & Helms, Remko (Red.), Proceedings of the 27th European Conferenceon Information Systems (ECIS), Stockholm & Uppsala, Sweden, June 8-14, 2019. Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9781733632508. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Grisot, Miria; Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk; Hagen, Laila Garberg & Aanestad, Margunn (2018). Supporting patient self-care: Examining nurses' practices in a remote care setting. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics. ISSN 0926-9630. 247, s. 601–605. doi: 10.3233/978-1-61499-852-5-601. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv

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• Islind, Anna Sigridur; Pries-Heje, Jan & Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk (2026). The proceedings of the 17th Scandinavian Conference on Information Systems (SCIS). Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISBN 9781958200162. doi: https:/aisel.aisnet.org/scis2026/. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Grisot, Miria; Sæbø, Johan Ivar & Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk (2025). Selected Papers of the 48th Information Systems Research Seminar in Scandinavia. Association for Information Systems (AIS). Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  The Information Systems Research Seminar in Scandinavia (IRIS) is an annual seminar for Information Systems researchers established in 1978. The 48th IRIS was held in conjunction with the 16th Scandinavian Conference of Information Systems (SCIS). The theme of the seminar and conference was "Challenging Boundaries in Digitalization Research: Towards Inclusivity and Fairness". The event was hosted at Oscarsborg Fortress located in Drøbak, outside of Oslo, Norway, from August 10th to 13th 2025. The papers selected for this issue of the Selected Papers of the IRIS were nominated by the group chairs and have been subjected to a double-blinded peer-review process before the seminar. Before being included in this issue, the papers were revised based on the working group discussions and the review comments.

• Parmiggiani, Elena; Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk & Mikalef, Patrick (2021). Proceedings of the12th Scandinavian Conference on Information Systems (SCIS2021). Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISBN 9788230350546. 188 s. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv

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• Sjøvoll, Espen & Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk (2026). Adaptive Funding in government digital transformation: A conceptualization and a research agenda. doi: 10.59490/6a91ae080fd2bd55cd254bdc. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Governments globally are investing heavily in digital transformation (DT) of public services, yet the funding frameworks governing these investments remain structured around upfront cost-benefit analysis, single-agency allocation, and fixed-scope commitment. Mechanisms designed for predictable infrastructure projects rather than exploratory, learningoriented transformation. This paper argues that traditional public-sector funding is structurally misaligned with the iterative, learning-oriented agile approaches DT requires. While several governments have implemented different funding schemes for DT, the theoretical basis for what makes such schemes effective and, what design features distinguish adaptive funding for DT remains underdeveloped. Drawing on governance network theory and the three forms of complexity identified by Klijn et al. (2025), we identify three funding–method misalignments: linear funding logic applied to complex, non-linear problems; single-agency budgeting constraining cross-agency transformation; and institutional planning processes blocking iterative delivery. From each misalignment we derive corresponding design requirements for adaptive funding: graduated commitment under uncertainty, cross-cutting allocation capability and decision-process accountability. We conceptualize adaptive funding as the fiscal dimension of adaptive governance — not a relaxation of accountability, but a reorientation from compliance with fixed plans toward evidence-informed decisions. The primary contribution is a conceptual synthesis for funding of DT with a proposed research agenda to guide future empirical and design-oriented investigations.

• Sjøvoll, Espen; Utvik, Vetle Alvenes; Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk & Sanner, Terje Aksel (2026). Mindre avhengighet av tek-gigantene krever mer enn å bytte ut Office-pakken. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  En politikk for åpen kildekode må være basert på åpne økosystemer.

• Bucher, Taina; Falkum, Ingrid Lossius; Berg, Margareta; Findlay, Jamie Yates; Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk & Müller, Lilly Pijnenburg [Vis alle 7 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2026). Mellom ytring og fortelling: Kommunikasjon med og om KI. doi: https:/www.uio.no/om/aktuelt/universitetsplassen/domus-bibliotheca/arrangementer/2026/kommunikasjon-med-om-KI. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Grut, Ståle Bjørlykke; Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk & Reinertsen, Hilde (2025). Hvordan endte et spekulativt anslag opp som sikker kunnskap? s. 22–23. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  At estimater generert av GPT-4 får legge premissene for den politiske KI-debatten i Norge, bør få varsellampene til å blinke.

• Grut, Ståle Bjørlykke; Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk & Reinertsen, Hilde (2025). Er usikre tall virkelig bedre enn ingen tall? Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Selv en usikker prediksjon kan bli en selvoppfyllende profeti.

• Skogvoll, Vidar; Sandve, Geir Kjetil Ferkingstad; Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk & Gregers, Tone Fredsvik (2024). Real læring - Realistfabrikken: Hvordan lage informatiker. [Radio]. Podcast. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Müller, Sune Dueholm; Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk & Mønsted, Troels Sune (2024). Is the Human IS Researcher Dead? Long Live the AI Researcher. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  AI like ChatGPT sparks public concerns. These emerging technologies raise questions about what it means to be human and to what extent they will support or replace existing jobs. As scholars, we are also forced to reckon with what it means to be a researcher and how AI influences our identity and profession. We address the latter questions based on an extensive interview with ChatGPT and its self-assessment of research capabilities based on the Researcher Development Framework. The assessment shows expert-level capabilities within some areas, but is open to divergent interpretations. We suggest the AI user, the AI prompter, and the AI sidekick as potential future roles that we may assume. We discuss whether the human researcher is dead and the implications of AI for our researcher identity. We suggest research questions that will help us prepare for the future, maintain agency, redefine our identity, and influence future AI development.

• Li, Magnus & Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk (2024). Digitalisering er for viktig til at vi kan fortsette slik vi gjør nå. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Li, Magnus & Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk (2024). Why is public sector digitalization so difficult? Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk (2024). Why is public sector digitalization so difficult? Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk; Parmiggiani, Elena & Vassilakopoulou, Polyxeni (2023). Accountability in Managing Artificial Intelligence: State of the Art and a way forward for Information Systems Research. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Thunes, Johanne & Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk (2023). Achieving digital transformation in the public sector through targeted insourcing. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Grisot, Miria; Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk & Vassilakopoulou, Polyxeni (2019). Reshaping Boundaries in Digital Diagnostics. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Remote diagnostic systems extend the flows of information and knowledge across boundaries. Such systems not only have the potential to spawn new forms of boundary-spanning involving novel interactions among previously unconnected actors, but also to alter existing boundaries as they alter the frequency, and intensity of existing interactions. Remote diagnostic systems enable monitoring and diagnosis at a distance. Remote diagnostics are introduced in different domains ranging from the energy sector, manufacturing and transportation to healthcare. The introduction of remote diagnostics in healthcare is especially interesting as these rapidly evolving digital technologies are driving the emergence of new forms of care and new organizational arrangements. These technological innovations are contributing to further transformations of a domain where the introduction of technologies is reconfiguring occupational boundaries.

• Thunes, Johanne; Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk; Aanestad, Margunn & Stray, Viktoria (2026). Beyond outsourcing: a case study on digital sourcing decisions. Universitetet i Oslo. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  In this thesis, I argue for the need to look beyond cost minimization in sourcing decisions. Over the last two decades, digitalization has changed the sourcing landscape, and the outsourcing literature has not kept up. It includes novel aspects and challenges, such as knowledge exchange, organizational learning, and digital transformation. Recently, generative artificial intelligence (AI) has received much attention. The problem is not only to decide whether to outsource or not, but also how to organize and govern digital solutions. The thesis explores the role of digital sourcing, the implications of digitalization, and the impact of recent technological advancements. The empirical material consists of interviews with software professionals who had experience in client organizations. The professionals were held responsible for digital sourcing decisions. The study was informed by both an ongoing set of software projects and the relevant literature. The main contribution of this thesis is a new analytical framework for digital sourcing decisions. While existing frameworks are rooted in cost arguments, this analytical framework takes a broader perspective, incorporating decision-level outsourcing. Second, the thesis contributes to the literature on digital sourcing, where empirical research is still scarce. Third, it also contributes to IS research in digital transformation and operations. Finally, the thesis presents lessons relevant to practitioners.

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