This study analyzes the process of the diffusion of structures and practices in an organizational setting using the theory of new institutionalism as the theoretical basis. The explanation of the diffusion process has been subject to major variations due to epistemological and ontological reasons. Former theories of organizational reality looked at organizations as their sole units of analyses and accounted for the diffusion process accordingly / however, today, it is widely observed and accepted that organizational behavior is shaped by historical and environmental factors. This investigation aims to provide evidence for how certain structures and practices diffuse through organizational settings while others do not. Consequently, a qualitative design was conducted to explore the diffusion process in the case of the Council of Higher Education, a high-level bureaucratic organization in Turkey. Fifteen key informants, present or former university rectors and members of the Council, were interviewed and the accumulated data were analyzed qualitatively. Also, the findings were matched and supported with relevant documents analyzed additionally. The findings drawn from the investigation indicate that the emergence of the Council implicates a pattern visible throughout the history of Turkish higher education. The Council is spotted as an important agent in redefining Turkish higher education and thus creating a new organizational field for it. Yet, highly dynamic and interactive face of today&rsquo / s higher education calls for reconsideration of the Council and its functions. A major conclusion that can be reached in this context is that the issue of legitimacy depends on the satisfaction of several demands and expectations at various levels. Therefore, even a formal and regulative organization, such as the Council of Higher Education is prone to the pressures of the organizational field it operates within and is called upon to redefine its structures and implementations accordingly in order to secure its legitimacy.

Sammanfattning   Datum - 2022-06-01   Nivå - Kandidatuppsats i företagsekonomi, 15hp  Akademi - Akademi för Ekonomi, Samhälle och Teknik  Författare - Miranda Elias           Sara Mahamad Taufk                       (99/07/24)                         (99/11/12)     Titel – Digitaliseringens möjligheter och utmaningar i organisationer   Handledare - Lennart Haglund    Nyckelord – Digitalisering, Digital transformation, Institutionalisering, Organisationsförändring, Organisationsstruktur, Isomorfism och Legitimitet. Frågeställningar – På vilket sätt har implementeringen av digitala tekniker förändrat organisationer?-Vilka möjligheter och utmaningar har uppstått i och med digitaliseringen som i sin tur påverkat organisationsstrukturer och arbetsprocesser? Syfte - Syftet med denna undersökning är att studera digitaliseringens påverkan på organisationsstruktur och arbetsprocesser, utifrån ett ledningsperspektiv.  Metod – Undersökningen genomfördes med en kvalitativ metod och en abduktiv ansats genom semistrukturerade intervjuer.  Slutsats – Studien visar att organisationer är beroende av digitala tekniker i stor utsträckning och använder digitala verktyg och system för att driva verksamheten framåt. Detta har lett till förändringar i organisationsstruktur och arbetsprocesser. Möjligheterna handlar bland annat om att arbetsprocesserna blivit mer effektiva och flexibla till följd av digitaliseringen, genom automatisering och kommunikationsverktyg. I takt med digitaliseringen har arbetsfördelningen förändrats då förskjutning av ansvar har ökat, detta har förändrat organisationsstrukturen i respektive bransch. Studien har identifierat utmaningar kopplat till snabba förändringar i samhället. Digitaliseringen har skapat ett institutionellt tryck och krav på organisationer till att vara mer snabbfotade och förändringsbenägna för att hålla sig legitima och relevanta på marknaden. / Abstract   Date- 2022-06-01 Level - Bachelor’s thesis in business economics, 15cr Institution - School of Business, Society and Engineering    Authors - Miranda Elias        Sara Mahamad Taufk                    (99/07/24)                     (99/11/12) Title - The opportunities and challenges of digitalization in organizations   Advisor - Lennart Haglund  Keywords - Digitalization, Digital transformation, Institutionalization, Organizational change, Organizational structure, Isomorphism and Legitimacy. Research questions – How has the implementation of digital technologies changed organizations?- What opportunities and challenges have arisen because of digitalization, which has affected organizational structures and work processes? Purpose - The purpose of this thesis s to examine the impact of digitalization on organizational structure and work processes, from a management perspective.   Method - The thesis was conducted using a qualitative method and an abductive approach through semi-structured interviews. Conclusion - The thesis shows that organizations are dependent on digital technology to a large extent and use digital tools and systems to run their business. This has led to changes in organizational structure and work processes. The opportunities include the fact that the work processes have become more efficient and flexible because of digitalization, through automation and communication tools. The division of labor has changed as the shift of responsibilities has increased; this has changed the organizational structure in each industry. The thesis has identified challenges linked to rapid change in society. Digitalization has created institutional pressure and demands on organizations to be fast-paced and prone to change to stay legitimate and relevant in the market.