This edited volume highlights the latest advances in and findings from research on service automation in public sector organizations. The contributing authors use a mix of social and technological approaches to increase readers' understanding of public service automation. The respective chapters discuss the automation of services in public organizations from a conceptual standpoint, present empirical examples of automation applications in public organizations, and consider the implementation-related challenges that can arise. The book's overall goal is to aid and inspire researchers and practitioners to expand their knowledge of service automation in public organizations, while also providing a foundation for policy development and future research.Following a brief introductory chapter, the book addresses major gaps in our current understanding of service automation in public organizations, and provides suggestions for future research. Moreover, it argues that there is a continued need to observe and learn from empirical examples, and a need for more critical studies on the social and societal consequences of increased service automation in public organizations.

Autorentext

Gustaf Juell-Skielse is a full Professor of Informatics at University of Borås, Sweden. His research includes case studies, survey as well as action and design research on digital transformation of public sector organizations. He is particularly interested in the use of cognitive automation in public organizations.

Ida Lindgren is a Senior Researcher at Linköping University, Sweden. Her research focuses on the effects of digitalization for public sector organizations. She is especially interested in how municipalities and government agencies make use of digital services for communicating and exchanging information with citizens.

Maria Åkesson is a Senior Researcher at Halmstad University, Sweden. Her research interests include digital service innovation, digitalization and the transformation of businesses and work life. Maria has conducted research in the public sector, newspaper industry and transportation industry.

Inhalt
Part 1: Editorial.- Towards Service Automation in Public Organizations.- Part 2: Conceptualization of Public Sector Service Automation.- The Subject Matter of Process Automation Practices: Through the Lenses of Research Questions.- Understanding Automated Decision-making in the Public Sector: A Classification of Automated, Administrative Decision-making.- Cognitive Robotic Process Automation: Concept and Impact on Dynamic IT Capabilities in Public Organizations.- Part 3: Applications of Public Sector Service Automation.- Automation and Public Service Values in Human Resource Management.- Integration of RPA in Public Services: A tension approach to the case of income support in Sweden.- Actors and Intentions in the Dissemination of Robotic Process Automation in Social Work.- Application of RPA for Cross-border Business Processes based on the Example of Intra-Community Supplies.- Part 4: Implementation Challenges of Public Sector Service Automation.- Enhancing Routine Capability through Robotic Process Automation in the Public Sector: A Case Survey.- Organizing for Robotic Process Automation in Local Government: Observations from two case studies of RPA implementation in Swedish Municipalities.- Managing two-speed innovation. Combining ambidexterity and platform-oriented IT.- What can Public Sector Organizations Learn from Private Sector Experiences of Robotic Process Automation?.