ICT Driven Transformation of State-owned Enterprises in a Developing Country

Extant research has considered the appropriateness of contemporary Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM) to support management of Enterprise Transformation (ET) and recommend context specific EAM approaches. In line with that, drawing on path creation as a theoretical lens, we propose a conceptualization of ICT driven transformation in state-owned enterprises in a developing country as an emerging path creation process. As multifarious challenges are inherent in ICT driven innovations in developing countries, we argue that entrepreneurs – initiators of, or participants in, change –take advantage of these challenges and start to identify options to transform established practices through reflection and experimentation. Hence, ET, in the given context, is not a pre-planned, coordinated approach; rather transformation emerges by “mindful deviation” of the entrepreneurs which can take different paths. We explore these ideas in an ICT driven initiative in Bangladesh for a state-owned enterprise. We discuss theoretical implications in understanding the entrepreneurial process through which ICT driven innovation in developing countries can be successfully transformed creating new paths.