Are digital platforms a remedy for collaborative challenges? Unpacking the socio-political complexities of digital transformations

Purpose Although collaborative governance is omnipresent in the public sector, it is often mired by difficulties. To mitigate these, digital tools are increasingly used. Their success depends on whether intended actors will actually use them. Drawing on a case study of digitally supported collaborative policy implementation among first-line care professionals, we analytically distinguish between the technical, social and political dimensions of change. We demonstrate the value of using a decentred approach to describe how failing to address the underlying social and political dynamics surrounding collaborative governance may produce unintended counterproductive effects. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on a case study (in which we take a decentred approach) of the implementation of a digital platform (DP) intended to improve communication between first-line care professionals, we zoom in on how actors navigate digital transformations meant to improve collaborative policy implementation. Findings Our paper contributes to the literature in three interrelated ways by showing: (1) the importance of considering socio-political dynamics when pursuing digitally induced change, particularly the alignment to users' working practices and interests; (2) that digital change may exacerbate pre-existing problems and evoke adverse effects, in contrast to the predominantly positive assumptions found in the literature on digital change and (3) the benefits of adopting an actor-centred perspective to enhance clarity of why digital systems are not one-way solutions. Research limitations/implications As an interpretive study, we have not aimed for generalizability or replicability in the technical sense. Rather, interpretive research stresses context sensitivity and multivocality, seeking insight into actors' meaning-making processes and the situated nature of social practices (Schwartz-Shea and Yanow, 2013). Nonetheless, while we acknowledge that our insights are drawn from a single case study in a specific context, we aspired to formulate a generalizable analytical framework that opens up the black box of how actors make sense of and reappropriate policy initiatives in practice. Practical implications This article has implications for policymakers and practitioners. As we have shown, efforts aimed at improving the efficacy of task coordination must be strongly embedded in actors' actual working practices. Prior to the design and implementation stages, discussions should be had with the intended users to flesh out the three key dimensions underpinning a digital platforms; only then can a DP truly be designed and implemented to facilitate more effective communication and reduced administrative burdens. Originality/value Our article responds to and illuminates current gaps in research regarding (1) the socio-political dynamics involved in digital changes to improve interaction among actors and (2) insight into unintended and counterproductive consequences of digital change.