External factors and their influence on Green IS adoption: A qualitative study of 4 Swedish municipalities

Abstract: The literature within Information Systems has approached Green IS from different perspectives and using different theoretical frameworks. The present paper analyzes the corre-lation between the existence of external pressures and Green IS adoption in the case of Swe-dish municipalities. A qualitative research was conducted, with the performance of in-depth interviews with representatives of a 4 Swedish municipalities. The main purpose here is to get a better understanding about how municipalities experience external pressures and how they perceive the question of the influence of external pressures over Green IS adoption. An additional purpose is to understand whether or in what ways municipalities can take advan-tage of external pressures for improving their strategies towards Green IS and sustainability. The results show that, for the majority of the respondents, coercive and mimetic pressures (respectively, laws and regulations, and the fact that other public organizations have already implemented Green IS) play a crucial role in Green IS adoption. Furthermore, also in accor-dance to the majority of the respondents, the same external factors are taken into account when municipalities resonate about possible areas of improvements in their strategies - not only towards the adoption or use of Green IS, but even towards sustainability in a broader perspective.