Implementing Digital Transformations in Higher Education Following COVID-19: A Norwegian Case Study

Abstract

Drawing on the theory and conceptualizations of organizational readiness for change and taking a more critical approach to organizational readiness that takes seriously actors’ different and sometimes conflicting understandings of change and digital transformation processes, this chapter explores the implementation of digital tools and systems in Norwegian higher education (HE) prior to and following the outbreak of the COVID-19 global health pandemic. The analysis focuses on the challenges and bottlenecks associated with digital implementation in a complex environment by focusing on contextual and situational factors. The chapter investigates ongoing developments in Norwegian HE in the context of dynamics across the Nordic region, illuminating the micro-level practices, experiences, and responses to digital transformation of university actors at multiple levels in a Norwegian university selected as the main case study.