Aligning Technology and Organization: A Socio-Technical Framework for Digital Transformation in Public Transport Safety

Muzondo PJ

Published on: 2026-05-01

Abstract

Purpose: This study positions digital transformation (DT) within operations and supply chain management (OSCM) through a transport safety lens, addressing the gap between Industry 4.0's techno-centric promise and persistent safety failures in public passenger transport. It argues that effective DT requires a holistic socio-technical perspective.

Design/Methodology/Approach: A qualitative systematic literature review and conceptual synthesis integrate socio-technical systems (STS) theory with collaborative governance to analyze the interplay of digital technologies, human actors, organizational processes, and institutional frameworks in transport operations.

Findings: Safety performance emerges from socio-technical alignment. Key barriers include governance gaps, regulatory lag, workforce resistance due to perceived punitive monitoring, and misalignment between digital tools and operational routines, all constraining the safety benefits of technology adoption.

Research limitations: Findings derive from existing literature with geographical bias; studies from developing economies are underrepresented.

Practical implications: Transport operators must adopt a system-integration mindset. Regulators should develop adaptive, performance-based standards and facilitate multi-stakeholder data governance platforms. Technology vendors need human-centered design and integration support.

Originality/Value: Framing public passenger transport safety as a complex operations management challenge of socio-technical alignment extends OSCM theory beyond efficiency-centric DT models, offering an integrative framework for safety in digital, multi-actor service ecosystems.