Temporality of Cybersecurity Culture Amid Rapid Digital Transformation: Evidence From an Ethiopian Bank

ABSTRACT Organizational reliance on emerging digital technologies that are transforming the work patterns has left organizations vulnerable to sophisticated cyber threats. Industry reports and incident cases indicate that the rapid pace of digital transformation exacerbates these issues, as organizations' cybersecurity posture must keep pace with the changing organizational and technological landscape. Prior literature suggests that fostering cybersecurity culture (CSC) is foundational for any cybersecurity effort. However, CSC tends to develop slowly and evolutionary, whereas rapid digital transformation (RDT) unfolds quickly and periodically, giving rise to temporal disparity. In this study, we adopt a case study methodology to examine how an Ethiopian bank addressed this temporal disparity and crafted strategies to align CSC with ongoing RDT. We build our analysis on a multilayer temporality model of CSC that draws on and extends Schein's organizational culture model. Our findings highlight the challenges engendered by temporal disparity and underscore the need for strategic organizational actions. The study provides a theoretical basis for fostering CSC amidst RDT and offers practical insights for developing countries, highly regulated sectors, and organizations undergoing RDT.