Hybrid Governance of Digital Transformation: Control and Agility Configurations in Five Moroccan Organizations

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.

JEL Classification: M15, O33, M10.

Paper type: Empirical Research.