Digitalization of the finance function and hybridisation in departmental battles: a multiple exploratory case study

Sammanfattning: In this paper, we investigate technology advancements and their impact on the finance function, more specifically, we are focusing on the digitalization of the finance function. Previous literature on accounting information systems and later enterprise resource planning systems find that opportunities as well as challenges arise when companies are adopting new systems and processes. By conducting an exploratory multiple case study, we find that the case companies are in a varying degree adjusting to the changing context in which they operate. Adoption of digital solutions is mostly seen in the customer facing activities while back-end processes are given less priority. The reasons for the low prioritization are: return on investment, time consumption, complexity of the relationship with legacy systems, and cultural obstacles. The technological advances are making it possible to replace manual labour and this is causing a shift in control of the technology. The IT department is gaining more control but it is mitigated through hybridisation of the finance function. We argue that the finance function is not being replaced but rather there is a change of roles and responsibilities and therefore it is the old corporate structures and systems that are going to disappear.