Giacomini, D., Sanabria-Pulido, P., Gasco-Hernandez, M., Cha, J., Carli, G., Dougherty, R. B., Grandi, L. and Tonoli, D. 2025. Public sector digital transformation: Understanding public servants' perspectives. Public Management Research Conference 2025. Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea 26 - 28 Jun 2025
| Title | Public sector digital transformation: Understanding public servants' perspectives |
|---|---|
| Authors | Giacomini, D., Sanabria-Pulido, P., Gasco-Hernandez, M., Cha, J., Carli, G., Dougherty, R. B., Grandi, L. and Tonoli, D. |
| Type | Conference paper |
| Abstract | Digital transformation (DT) involves changes within an organization. This process is expected to evolve as each wave of digital technology introduces new challenges. A thorough understanding of the factors affecting DT for public servants is highly beneficial. Public employees play a crucial role in guiding DT: their significant impact lies in initiating, advocating, and legitimizing the processes of digital change. The employees’ contribution is fundamental and it is imperative to better understand their views from a bottom-up perspective. Such an approach ensures that their experiences are integrated into the broader strategy, ultimately fostering a more comprehensive and effective DT. This paper examines two research questions: What are the key factors that public servants prioritize for the successful implementation of digital transformation in public sector organizations?; and How do organizational characteristics and individual actor attributes influence perceptions of the critical enablers of digital transformation in the public sector? The perspectives of over 200 public servants were analyzed using the Q-methodology. Respondents were asked to assign a priority to the factors from the most important to the least important. The results were collected in Colombia, Italy, Spain, South Korea and United States, countries with diverse contexts, which provide valuable insights into the challenges in the public sector DT. This study makes significant contributions to the exploration of DT, offering a more nuanced and accurate assessment of how various contextual, organizational, and managerial enablers affect the success of DT initiatives. |
| Keywords | Digital transformation |
| Digital government | |
| Public servants | |
| International comparative study | |
| Year | 2025 |
| Conference | Public Management Research Conference 2025 |