Managing Robotics Process Automation (RPA) - A Qualitative Case Study of the Adoption and Implementation Process in the Banking Sector

Abstract: Firms are investing heavily in adopting and implementing (Robotics Process Automation) RPA, although they lack the ability or understanding to capture the value of such investments. Value is created with the acceptance and usage of a new technology. As a response to limitations in existing IT adoption literature, the study sought to synthesize the often overlapping and complementary constructs of the field into an integrative theoretical framework. The purpose of this study was to increase the understanding of how RPA is adopted and implemented in an attempt to create value. A qualitative single case study design with two embedded cases was undertaken. The empirical findings were primarily based on semi-structured interviews with employees involved in the adoption and implementation process of RPA within a Banking Group operating on the Swedish market. To a large extent, the study confirmed the proposed framework. Adjustments were made to recognize the collective-user of RPA, consisting of both direct and indirect users. The thesis contributes with an integrative framework grounded in existing literature, with an extensive description of an organization adopting and implementing RPA. It highlights the collective user of RPA, who has previously not been recognized in traditional models of user acceptance.