article · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Organisations pursuing digital transformation often struggle to balance administrative control with the flexibility needed for innovation. An examination of five Moroccan organisations across varied sectors, sizes, and digital maturity levels highlights how hybrid governance operates in practice. Based on qualitative interviews, the research identifies five distinct governance configurations: differentiated and cross-functional, hierarchical and uniform, entrepreneurial and informal, data-centred and selective, and externally driven. Rather than merely accumulating governance tools, successful hybridity relies on tailoring decision-making pathways to the criticality, reversibility, and data sensitivity of specific projects. Consequently, effective hybrid governance functions as an adaptive, contingent capacity for project-by-project adjustments rather than a rigid compromise between operational control and exploratory agility. These exploratory insights also reflect the specific regulatory and capability constraints present in the Moroccan context.
Digital transformation initiatives frequently fail when governance models are either too rigid to allow innovation or too lax to maintain control. Demonstrating that governance can adapt flexibly depending on the risk and reversibility of individual initiatives helps leaders design management structures that protect core operations whilst allowing new digital projects to move forward effectively under local regulatory constraints.
The findings offer managerial guidance and a conceptual framework that corporate executives, IT managers, and digital transformation consultants can use to structure project oversight. Because the research is qualitative, preliminary, and exploratory, it is at an early conceptual stage. Practical deployment would involve consulting or advisory services applying these decision-pathway configurations to help organisations navigate local regulatory and capability constraints during technology rollouts.
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Résumé: Cet article analyse comment la gouvernance de la transformation digitale équilibre contrôle et agilité, sur la base d’une étude qualitative multi-cas menée dans cinq organisations marocaines, de secteurs, de tailles et de niveaux de maturité digitale variés. Les données issues de cinq entretiens semi-directifs, réalisés entre mars et juin 2026, ont totalisé 237 minutes. Les transcriptions, anonymisées, structurées et synthétisées, ont été analysées avec NVivo 15 selon une démarche thématique à la fois déductive et inductive. La comparaison inter-cas identifie cinq configurations : différenciée et transversale, hiérarchique et uniforme, entrepreneuriale informelle, centrée sur les données et influencée par une impulsion externe. Les résultats montrent que l’hybridité ne repose pas seulement sur l’accumulation de dispositifs, mais aussi sur des circuits décisionnels différenciés en fonction de la criticité, de la réversibilité et de la sensibilité des projets. La contribution conceptuelle présente la gouvernance hybride comme une capacité d’ajustement contingent, adaptée à chaque projet, plutôt qu’un équilibre fixe entre l’exploitation et l’exploration. Elle propose également des repères managériaux sur les contraintes réglementaires et capacitaires propres au contexte marocain. Les résultats restent principalement analytiques et exploratoires. Mots-clés : gouvernance des technologies de l’information, transformation digitale, gouvernance hybride, contrôle, agilité, Maroc. Abstract: This article examines how digital transformation governance balances control with flexibility within five Moroccan organizations from different sectors, sizes, and stages of digital maturity, using a qualitative multiple-case study. Data was collected through five semi-structured interviews conducted between March and June 2026, totaling 237 minutes, and analyzed in NVivo 15 with a deductive-inductive thematic approach. The cross-case analysis revealed five configurations: differentiated and cross-functional, hierarchical and uniform, entrepreneurial and informal, data-centered and selective, and externally driven and constrained. Findings suggest that hybridity arises from differentiating decision pathways based on project criticality, reversibility, and data sensitivity, rather than simply increasing governance mechanisms. The study proposes a conceptual framework where hybrid governance is viewed as a flexible capacity for project-specific adjustments, rather than a static trade-off between exploration and exploitation. This context-sensitive perspective provides managerial insights aligned with the regulatory and capability constraints faced by Moroccan organizations. The results remain preliminary and exploratory. Keywords: IT governance, digital transformation, hybrid governance, control, agility, Morocco.
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DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21893099
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