Marcel Patalon

@fh-swf.de

Electrical Engineering
South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences

Marcel Patalon


                              Download Compact PDF  
https://researchid.co/marcelpatalon

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Information Systems, Social Sciences, Multidisciplinary
4

Scopus Publications

22

Scholar Citations

2

Scholar h-index

1

Scholar i10-index

Scopus Publications

  • Situated isomorphism: institutional logics and the interpretive dynamics of municipal digital transformation
    Marcel Patalon
    Journal of Organizational Change Management, 2026
    Purpose This article develops a situated conceptual model that reinterprets institutional isomorphism in municipal digital transformation. It addresses the limitations of classical institutional theory by emphasizing interpretive agency, institutional multiplicity and legitimacy construction within structurally constrained local governance settings. Design/methodology/approach Building on institutional logics theory, this study conceptualizes municipalities as embedded in pluralistic fields shaped by bureaucratic, democratic, market and digital logics. It integrates prior research on municipal digital transformation and institutional isomorphism with insights from institutional work and sensemaking to construct a situated model of isomorphic response. Findings The model identifies three mechanisms – symbolic mandates, legitimacy signaling and localized normative referencing – through which municipalities interpret and navigate coercive, mimetic and normative pressures. These mechanism reveal digital transformation as a performative and context-dependent process, explaining variation in organizational change trajectories. Research limitations/implications As a conceptual article, empirical validation remains for future research through comparative and longitudinal studies. Practical implications Municipal leaders can apply the model to design reflexive transformation strategies aligned with local logic constellations. Social implications Understanding legitimacy construction fosters inclusive, participatory and context-sensitive public innovation. Originality/value The article reconceptualizes isomorphism as an interpretive and logic-mediated phenomenon, advancing institutional and change theory by highlighting symbolic and discursive dimensions of public sector transformation.
  • Making Digital Transformation Discussable: An Institutional Action Design Research Approach for Municipal Governance
    Marcel Patalon
    Social Sciences, 2026
    Digital transformation in public administration is shaped not only by technology but also by institutional expectations, legitimacy concerns and uneven local capacities. However, existing qualitative instruments rarely support structured reflection on how these conditions influence digital change. This study develops a modular, theory-informed focus group guide designed to help practitioners articulate institutional influences on municipal digital transformation. Using an Action Design Research framework, institutional concepts were embedded into the guide and iteratively refined across six focus groups with municipal actors. Through recursive Alpha and Beta cycles, the artifact evolved via authentic and concurrent evaluation, integrating practitioner feedback, visual scaffolds and accessible translations of theoretical constructs. Results show that the guide enabled participants to identify coercive, mimetic and normative pressures, surface assumptions across administrative roles and externalize institutional relationships. These patterns point to an institutionally dominant mode of artifact development in which interpretive engagement and legitimacy dynamics shape refinement. The study demonstrates that institutional theory can serve as a productive kernel for qualitative instrument design and offers transferable design principles for developing tools that support reflective, inclusive and socially aware digital transformation in public sector contexts. The resulting artifact, referred to as the Modular Institutional Instrument (MII), is made publicly available to support application in similar governance contexts.
  • Legitimacy Work and Digital Transformation in Local Government: Insights from German Municipal Practice
    Marcel Patalon
    Information Polity, 2026
    Digital transformation in local government represents an institutional rather than a purely technical process. It unfolds under conditions of resource scarcity, vendor dependency, and competing accountability demands, conditions particularly pronounced in municipalities operating at the margins of administrative capacity. This study examines how local government actors in a German regional context interpret and enact digital transformation within these constraints. Drawing on six focus groups with thirty officials from twenty-five municipalities, it combines the Technology–Organization–Environment framework with Suchman's legitimacy typology into an integrated TOE–L analytical model. The analysis identifies two interrelated mechanisms of legitimacy work: legitimacy–capacity decoupling and guerrilla legitimation. Both illustrate how administrations sustain credibility when reform ambitions exceed capacity. Together, these dynamics constitute reflexive legitimacy work, that is, the conscious management of symbolic and practical tensions in digital reform. Conceptually, the study reframes legitimacy as an operational capability of governance. It advances institutional and public management theory by showing how local administrations govern through legitimacy under constraint.
  • FROM CATALOGUES TO E-COMMERCE: UNDERSTANDING PROCUREMENT IN DAYCARE CENTERS
    Proceedings of the International Conferences Iadis Information Systems 2025 and E Society 2025, 2025

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Situated isomorphism: institutional logics and the interpretive dynamics of municipal digital transformation
    M Patalon
    Journal of Organizational Change Management 39 (8), 39-55 , 2026
    2026.0
    Citations: 2
  • Making digital transformation discussable: an institutional action design research approach for municipal governance
    M Patalon
    Social Sciences 15 (3), 149 , 2026
    2026.0
    Citations: 2
  • Legitimacy Work and Digital Transformation in Local Government: Insights from German Municipal Practice
    M Patalon
    Information Polity, 15701255261446435 , 2026
    2026.0
  • Facilitating Dynamic Capabilities for Digital Transformation in Small and Medium Enterprises through Higher Education Partnerships
    A Wyczisk, M Patalon, LA Wulfert, P Weber
    EdMedia, 858-867 , 2025
    2025.0
  • Analysing leadership communication in volunteer-based political organisations: A theory-informed codebook
    M Patalon
    2025.0
  • FROM CATALOGUES TO E-COMMERCE: UNDERSTANDING PROCUREMENT IN DAYCARE CENTERS
    M Patalon, C Paul, P Weber
    International Conferences IADIS Information Systems 2025 and e-Society , 2025
    2025.0
  • Codebook: Leadership Communication in Grassroots Political Organizations
    M Patalon
    2025.0
  • Mapping Digital Transformation of Municipalities through the Lens of Institutional Isomorphism.
    M Patalon, A Wyczisk
    International Journal on Social and Education Sciences 6 (4), 600-635 , 2024
    2024.0
    Citations: 16
  • FROM IVORY TOWERS TO RURAL POWERS: HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS AS KNOWLEDGE PARTNERS IN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
    P Weber, A Wyczisk, M Patalon, I Borowicz
    INTED2024 Proceedings, 1521-1530 , 2024
    2024.0
    Citations: 2
  • Modular Institutional Instrument (MII)
    M Patalon

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Mapping Digital Transformation of Municipalities through the Lens of Institutional Isomorphism.
    M Patalon, A Wyczisk
    International Journal on Social and Education Sciences 6 (4), 600-635 , 2024
    2024.0
    Citations: 16
  • Situated isomorphism: institutional logics and the interpretive dynamics of municipal digital transformation
    M Patalon
    Journal of Organizational Change Management 39 (8), 39-55 , 2026
    2026.0
    Citations: 2
  • Making digital transformation discussable: an institutional action design research approach for municipal governance
    M Patalon
    Social Sciences 15 (3), 149 , 2026
    2026.0
    Citations: 2
  • FROM IVORY TOWERS TO RURAL POWERS: HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS AS KNOWLEDGE PARTNERS IN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
    P Weber, A Wyczisk, M Patalon, I Borowicz
    INTED2024 Proceedings, 1521-1530 , 2024
    2024.0
    Citations: 2
  • Legitimacy Work and Digital Transformation in Local Government: Insights from German Municipal Practice
    M Patalon
    Information Polity, 15701255261446435 , 2026
    2026.0
  • Facilitating Dynamic Capabilities for Digital Transformation in Small and Medium Enterprises through Higher Education Partnerships
    A Wyczisk, M Patalon, LA Wulfert, P Weber
    EdMedia, 858-867 , 2025
    2025.0
  • Analysing leadership communication in volunteer-based political organisations: A theory-informed codebook
    M Patalon
    2025.0
  • FROM CATALOGUES TO E-COMMERCE: UNDERSTANDING PROCUREMENT IN DAYCARE CENTERS
    M Patalon, C Paul, P Weber
    International Conferences IADIS Information Systems 2025 and e-Society , 2025
    2025.0
  • Codebook: Leadership Communication in Grassroots Political Organizations
    M Patalon
    2025.0
  • Modular Institutional Instrument (MII)
    M Patalon