Paper Number
ECIS2026-2680
Paper Type
CRP
Abstract
Digital transformation (DT) is increasingly recognised as a complex and intricate process. However, research has so far backgrounded the visual dimension through which DT is continuously (re-)produced. Drawing on a visual analysis of 176 figures from 138 DT papers, we show that academic figures are not neutral illustrations but perform particular assumptions about how DT unfolds and how it can be managed. Using a three-level coding structure, we link granular visual elements (e.g., boxes, arrows, lines) to recurrent visual grammars and, ultimately, to five classes of how DT is visually performed. This mapping reveals dominant styles of visualising DT and highlights how they perform assumptions about the complexity, temporality, and managerial controllability of DT. Our study provides the first systematic account of DT visualisations and, more broadly, opens the visual layer of academic theorising as an analytical domain for IS research, inviting greater visual reflexivity in authoring and reviewing practices.
Recommended Citation
Schlömer, Nina and Gersch, Martin, "Visualising Digital Transformation: The Performative Role Of Academic Figures" (2026). ECIS 2026 Proceedings. 13.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2026/digitrans/digitrans/13
Visualising Digital Transformation: The Performative Role Of Academic Figures
Digital transformation (DT) is increasingly recognised as a complex and intricate process. However, research has so far backgrounded the visual dimension through which DT is continuously (re-)produced. Drawing on a visual analysis of 176 figures from 138 DT papers, we show that academic figures are not neutral illustrations but perform particular assumptions about how DT unfolds and how it can be managed. Using a three-level coding structure, we link granular visual elements (e.g., boxes, arrows, lines) to recurrent visual grammars and, ultimately, to five classes of how DT is visually performed. This mapping reveals dominant styles of visualising DT and highlights how they perform assumptions about the complexity, temporality, and managerial controllability of DT. Our study provides the first systematic account of DT visualisations and, more broadly, opens the visual layer of academic theorising as an analytical domain for IS research, inviting greater visual reflexivity in authoring and reviewing practices.
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