Digital technologies and the evolution of the management accounting profession: a grounded theory literature review

Purpose: We critically examined the accounting and information systems literature to understand the changes that are occurring in the management accounting profession. The changes we are interested in are linked to technology-driven innovations in managerial decision-making and in organizational structures. In addition, the paper highlights research gaps and opportunities for future research. Design/methodology/approach: We adopted a grounded theory literature review method (Wolfswinkel et al., 2013) to achieve the study’s aims. Findings: We identified four research themes that describe the changes in the management accounting profession due to technology-driven innovations: structured vs. unstructured data, human vs. algorithm-driven decision-making, delineated vs. blurred functional boundaries, and hierarchical vs. platform-based organizations. We also identified tensions mentioned in the literature for each research theme. Originality/value: Previous studies display a rather narrow focus on the role of digital technologies in accounting work and new competences that management accountants require in the digital era. By contrast, we focus on the broader technology-driven shifts in organizational processes and structures, which vastly change how accounting information is collected, processed, and analyzed internally to support managerial decision-making. Hence, our paper focuses on how management accountants can adapt and evolve as their organizations transition toward a digital environment.