Guest editorial: Data-driven orientation and open innovation: the role of resilience in the (co-)development of social changes

Challenges and opportunities in IT transformation of public service delivery: case of India Post

Purpose

Legacy organizations, particularly government departments, have always remained focused on technology acquisition at a low cost. However, they must balance their quest for better financial performance with a commitment to social obligations and inclusiveness. This study aims to analyze the issues faced by a public sector department, India Post, in its digitization process.

Design/methodology/approach

This study takes a case-based approach to analyze India Post’s digitization journey through the theoretical prism of the technology, organization and environment framework.

Findings

The organization’s ability to benefit from innovative technology is constrained by its outdated structure and business processes. The other constraints include the limited technological know-how within the organization and the lack of intricate organizational process knowledge of today’s vendors.

Practical implications

This study portends important implications for policymakers and provides a base for several inquiries for future research. This study attempted to identify the facilitators and inhibitors of digitization initiatives of a legacy government organization with extensive outreach in rural economy which policymakers can consider while rolling out digitization initiatives for public sector organizations.

Originality/value

There are very few studies available as published literature which examined the digitization journey of a legacy government organization in a developing economy. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there was no published literature available on India Post’s digital transformation process.

Configurational path of successful entrepreneurship based on open government data: a QCA analysis

Purpose

In the era of big data, data have become an essential factor of production. In the context of open government data (OGD), encouraging the commercial development of OGD is significant for promoting mass innovation and entrepreneurship. This study aims to explore the configurational impact of data supply, external environment and entrepreneurial foundation on data-driven entrepreneurship.

Design/methodology/approach

This research used a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Fourteen start-ups using OGD were taken as a case sample.

Findings

This study produces two paths to achieving high entrepreneurial performance, one is a financing-enhanced entrepreneurial path and the other is a data-driven entrepreneurial path. Besides, four conditions are necessary for high performance of OGD-based entrepreneurship: good data quality, mature legal environment, favorable market environment and abundant big data entrepreneurial talents.

Practical implications

The findings have important practical implications for formulating policies related to promoting the application of government open data and innovation and entrepreneurship in terms of strengthening top-level design, improving the legal environment, developing the data market and cultivating entrepreneurial talents.

Originality/value

Although many studies have been conducted on OGD, studies on the paths to successful entrepreneurship based on OGD are limited. In this study, this issue is investigated from a configurational perspective by using the fsQCA technique.