Coping with digital transformation in frontline public services: A study of user adaptation in policing

Research on digital transformation has focused on organizational aspects with less attention to the impacts on frontline public officials' daily work. Drawing on the coping model of user adaptation, we investigate how public officials cope with digitalization initiatives and the role of discretion in the coping process. The empirical study focuses on policing and the responses of law enforcement officials ( n = 292) in the Punjab region of Pakistan following the implementation of an integrated Police Station Record Management System (PSRMS). Police officers adopted diverse problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies. We examine the relationship between these user adaptation strategies and officers' perceptions of system outcomes in improving performance. The study extends coping theory in the context of frontline digital government interactions and offers guidance on how to better embed systems like the PSRMS in public officials' daily work. • Examines how frontline public officials cope with digital transformation initiatives. • Extends coping theory to understand public officials' behavioral responses. • Studies the integrated Police Station Record Management System in the Punjab region of Pakistan. • Digital discretion and sense of control shape the relationship between user adaptation and perceptions of system performance. • Advises on the implementation of digital transformation initiatives to mitigate user concerns.