A Framework for Document-Based Prioritization of Digital Transformation Goals: Evidence from Selected Faculties and Schools at a Mexican University

Abstract

Digital transformation in higher education institutions requires approaches that recognize the diversity of organizational contexts and the varying priorities expressed by academic units. This study analyzes digital transformation objectives identified in the institutional development plans of six faculties and schools at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México using a document-based frequency prioritization approach. The study examines how institutional plans articulate digital transformation objectives in relation to organizational characteristics, management structures, and available resources, adopting a systems perspective to account for the interactions among these organizational conditions. A key contribution of this research is the use of institutional planning documents as an analytical basis for identifying seven core dimensions that characterize digital transformation initiatives in the university-analyzed context, providing a framework for understanding how academic units define and organize their transformation priorities. The proposed frequency-based prioritization approach operationalizes this comparison by calculating the relative weight of each dimension based on the number of technological objectives classified within it. The findings show that digital transformation priorities vary according to institutional autonomy, management arrangements, disciplinary profiles, existing capabilities, and available resources. In large and diverse universities characterized by decentralization and complex organizational structures, digital transformation does not follow a single pathway; instead, it develops through context-dependent strategies shaped by the specific conditions and needs of each academic unit.