South american expert roundtable: Increasing adaptive governance capacity for coping with unintended side eects of digital transformation

This paper presents the main messages of a South American expert roundtable (ERT) on the unintended side effects (unseens) of digital transformation. The input of the ERT comprised 39 propositions from 20 experts representing 11 different perspectives. The two-day ERT discussed the main drivers and challenges as well as vulnerabilities or unseens and provided suggestions for (i) the mechanisms underlying major unseens; (ii) understanding possible ways in which rebound effects of digital transformation may become the subject of overarching research in three main categories of impact: development factors, society, and individuals; and (iii) a set of potential action domains for transdisciplinary follow-up processes, including a case study in Brazil. A content analysis of the propositions and related mechanisms provided insights in the genesis of unseens by identifying 15 interrelated causal mechanisms related to critical issues/concerns. Additionally, a cluster analysis (CLA) was applied to structure the challenges and critical developments in South America. The discussion elaborated the genesis, dynamics, and impacts of (groups of) unseens such as the digital divide (that affects most countries that are not included in the development of digital business, management, production, etc. tools) or the challenge of restructuring small-and medium-sized enterprises (whose service is digitally substituted by digital devices). We identify specific issues and effects (for most South American countries) such as lack of governmental structure, challenging geographical structures (e.g., inclusion in high-performance transmission power), or the digital readiness of (wide parts) of society. One scientific contribution of the paper is related to the presented methodology that provides insights into the phenomena, the causal chains underlying "wanted/positive" and "unwanted/negative" effects, and the processes and mechanisms of societal changes caused by digitalization.Fil: Pereira, Gabriela Viale. Danube University Krems; Austria. Fundação Getulio Vargas. Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo; BrasilFil: Estevez, Elsa Clara. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación. Instituto de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación; ArgentinaFil: Cardona, Diego. Universidad Escuela de Administración de Negocios. Facultad de Administración, Finanzas y Ciencias Económicas; ColombiaFil: Chesñevar, Carlos Iván. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación. Instituto de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación; ArgentinaFil: Collazzo Yelpo, Pablo. University of Applied Sciences. Department of Management; AustriaFil: Cunha, Maria Alexandra. Fundação Getulio Vargas. Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo; BrasilFil: Diniz, Eduardo Henrique. Fundação Getulio Vargas. Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo; BrasilFil: Ferraresi, Alex Antonio. Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Parana; BrasilFil: Fischer, Frida Marina. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Garcia, Flúvio Cardinelle Oliveira. Corregedoria Regional da Polícia Federal no Estado do Paraná; BrasilFil: Joia, Luiz Antonio. Fundação Getulio Vargas. Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo; BrasilFil: Luciano, Edimara M.. Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: de Albuquerque, João Porto. University of Warwick; Reino UnidoFil: Quandt, Carlos. Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Parana; BrasilFil: Rios, Rodrigo Sánchez. Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Parana; BrasilFil: Sánchez, Aurora. Universidad Católica del Norte. Facultad de Economía y Administración; ChileFil: da Silva, Eduardo Damião. Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Parana; BrasilFil: Silva Junior, João Silvestre. São Camilo University Center. Department of Medicine; BrasilFil: Scholz, Roland. Danube University Krems; Austri