Digital Transformation Towards Sustainability: A Case Study of Process Views in District Heating

Digital transformation (DT) has the potential to change our society toward the United Nation’s sustainable development goals. However, developing software for the DT towards sustainability is a complex process that may entail an emphasis on optimization, eco-feedback, reflection, and participation. This paper contributes to a better understanding of how organizations navigate this complexity of different process views with a case study of a DT in district heating. Based on ten interviews with a software development company, eight interviews with a district heating supplier, and 14 interviews with consumers, we analyze the process views on their DT. This analysis shows how organizations navigate the different process views in a DT journey when encountering and solving problems. We conclude the paper by providing propositions on what navigating DT implies. Furthermore, we discuss how these insights can help practitioners navigate different process views and how our findings nuance the understanding of the DT process.