Track description n°1

Re-imagining Digital Technology for Business, Management, and Society

Track Chairs

Lapo Mola

University of Verona / SKEMA Business School

Lapo Mola is Associate Professor at Skema Business School and at the University of Verona (double affiliation). His current research projects include the impact of Information Infrastructures, such as ERP, Business Intelligence systems, and Internet Platforms, on organization design and inter-organizational relationships, institutional change and institutional logic in IT sourcing practices, the diffusion of Information and Communication Technologies, and IT-driven Organization Design. He published in journals such as European Journal of Information Systems, European Journal of Operational Research, Journal of Business Research, Industrial and Marketing Management

Jessie Pallud

EM Strasbourg Business School

jessie.pallud@em-strasbourg.eu

Jessie Pallud is a Full Professor of Management Information Systems at EM Strasbourg Business School and member of the HuManiS (UR 7308) research laboratory at the University of Strasbourg. Her research focuses on IT-related behaviors to examine the new technological uses and work practices related to these technologies. She also explores more critical aspects related to technology use, with topics such as the digitalization of the individual and the dark side of technologies. She has published in top journal outlets such as Journal of Management Information Systems, European Journal of Information Systems, Information Systems Journal, Information and Management, Journal of Business Research and Industrial Marketing Management.

Polyxeni Vassilakopoulou

University of Agder, Norway

polyxenv@uia.no

Polyxeni (Xenia) Vassilakopoulou is a Professor in Information Systems at the University of Agder. Her research focuses on the transformative potential of digital technology, the implications for work, organizations, and societies and the design of digital technology-enabled interventions. Her current research activities are within the areas of human-centered AI and the dynamics and governance of data-intensive digital infrastructures. Prior to joining academia, she worked in management consulting for over a decade. Her research has been published in leading journals including Information Systems Journal, European Journal of Information Systems, Information and Organization, Journal of Strategic Information Systems, Communications of the Association for Information Systems, Journal for Computer Supported Collaborative Work. Since 2023, she is AIS Distinguished Member – Cum Laude.

The rapid evolution and integration of digital technologies are fundamentally reshaping how businesses operate and how societies function. The theme “Re-imagining Digital Technology for Business, Management, and Society,” as introduced by ECIS 2026, underscores the urgent need to critically reassess the roles that digital innovations play across multiple domains. Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, and Robotics are not only enabling unprecedented efficiencies and capabilities in organizations but are also reconfiguring the fabric of societal interactions, governance, and values.

In this context, there is a growing imperative for scholarly engagement with the opportunities and challenges presented by digital technology for business, management, and society. This theme invites a critical and reflective discourse on how digital technologies can be strategically leveraged to create sustainable value, drive organizational innovation, and address societal challenges.

Digital technologies are now deeply embedded in the operations of modern organizations. From automating routine tasks to enabling data-driven decision-making they are driving significant changes. Managers are increasingly relying on AI and predictive analytics to forecast market trends, understand customer behavior, and optimize resource allocation. Similarly, Blockchain is revolutionizing supply chain management by providing transparency, traceability, and security in transactions.

Robotics and process automation are streamlining manufacturing and logistics, enhancing productivity while raising critical questions about the future of work and the skills needed in an increasingly automated workplace.

Beyond organizational boundaries, digital technologies are shaping societal norms, behaviors, and structures. Social media platforms, mobile technologies, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are transforming how people communicate, form communities, and access services. These technologies are blurring the lines between the physical and digital realms, prompting new forms of social interaction and cultural expression. At the same time, they introduce complex ethical, legal, and governance issues, including concerns about data privacy, surveillance, algorithmic bias, and digital inequality.

These multifaceted transformations create a clear need to rethink the relationship between digital technology, business, management, and society. This rethinking must be informed by interdisciplinary research bridging technical perspectives with ethical, social, and organizational considerations.

Research should prioritize understanding long-term implications of digital technologies. This includes investigating how organizations can build digital capabilities responsibly, how leadership and organizational culture must evolve, and how societal institutions can adapt to ensure equitable access to digital opportunities. There is also a pressing need for research that examines the unintended consequences of digital technologies and proposes frameworks for their responsible governance.Digital innovations profoundly impact organisations and society, as well as the way individuals address the accompanying challenges. New competencies and skills must be developed to prepare people for the unknown futures (plural).

Track topics

Topics and questions relevant to the track include, but are not limited to:

Re-imagining digital technology for work and jobs
Building and assessing guidelines/principles for responsible digital technology use
Corollary effects of digital technologies on business, management, and society
Digital technologies for sustainable business models
Rethinking the role of digital technology in business strategy
Resilience and adaptability through digital technologies
Human-centered approaches to digital technology design and implementation
Investigating value positions inscribed in digital technologies
The role of digital technologies in value creation and destruction
How emerging technologies (Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, and Robotics ) drive organizational innovation
Digital technologies for inclusion, access, and equity
Digital technologies to address societal challenges and to support sustainability objectives
Unintended environmental and social consequences of digital technologies
Methodologies for evaluating the impacts of digital technology on business, management, and society
Data privacy and cybersecurity in digital technology deployments
Ethical deployment of digital technology in business, management and society
Critical perspectives on digital technologies for business, management, and society
Deconstructing the narrative of technologism and alternative futures of technology use
Conceptual frameworks to re-imagine digital technology for business, management, and society