Navigating the Digital Frontier in Accounting: Transformative Impacts and Interplay of Digitalization, Accounting Systems, and Management Accountants in an Institutional Context

Digitalization is considered one of the most significant and lasting changes in society and is therefore a highly relevant field for research. This dissertation addresses the interdisciplinary field of digitalization and management accounting from an institutional theoretical perspective. It unfolds a holistic institutional approach describing digitalization as the combined effect of utilizing (various) digital technologies in “bringing about novel actors (and actor constellations), structures, practices, values, and beliefs that change, threaten, replace, or complement existing rules of the game in organizations, ecosystems, and industries.” This dissertation presents three studies, each introducing knowledge in studying digitalization in accounting. Study 1 presents a literature review of artificial intelligence (AI) in accounting, focusing on empirical research. This study updates the current knowledge about research in AI and accounting since Sutton’s et al. review in 2016. Specifically, this study reviews published research and presents primary empirical data. Furthermore, it uses a broader definition of AI technologies than in previous literature, making this review more applicable to accounting research. Therefore, it contributes to a broader overview of the current state of research on AI and accounting and, based on the results of the review, conceptualizes how AI influences accounting. This study critically reviews the literature and determines the themes addressed, type of research conducted, results generated, and type of technology applied. This study contributes to the literature in three ways. First, the results show the role of AI in accounting and segregate empirical- and non-empirical-based articles. Second, it bridges the focus between early AI and new technologies in accounting research. This provides a more nuanced picture of the current state of the literature published in accounting journals. Finally, it presents an agenda for future research by addressing current themes and describing potential research gaps. Study 2 is a single case study that investigates how management actively works to proliferate digitalization in the accounting function of the case company. This study explores how management accounting routines are influenced by digitalization in an accounting function, assessing the types of digitalization technologies used and the performance outcomes of digitalization. Study 3 is a comparative case study aimed at extending the literature on institutional change in the role of management accountants by exploring the contradictory institutional logics among management accounting professionals in the two investigated case companies. This study explores how digitalization constitutes institutional logic and changes the role of management accountants. It emphasizes the influence of digitalization logic and extends the current knowledge of management accountants’ role changes toward a functional consultant role involving more technical elements.