Digitalisation and e-leadership in Local Government before COVID-19: Results of an Exploratory Study

• Autorzy: Irma Rybnikova , Vita Juknevičienė , Rita Toleikienė , Nora Leach , Inese Āboliņa , Iveta Reinholde , Janika Sillamäe
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

The digitalisation of the public sector was already an emerging trend prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools in municipal administrative settings was gaining traction in limited fields, with the digital preparedness of employees yet to be fully established. As already argued within academic debates, digitalisation leads to the emergence of e-leadership. As such, in order to evaluate the dynamics in operation, this study focuses on local municipalities in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Germany, analysing the pre-pandemic practices. Moreover, it examines the challenges to public servants brought about by the adoption of ICT tools. As a pilot study, proposing further avenues for future research to explore, it expands the theoretical understanding of how digitalisation fosters e-leadership in local administration. The qualitative analysis relies upon interviews with managers and employees within local municipalities. The results suggest that even in the pre-pandemic period, an overall positive attitude towards digitalisation and e-leadership had already been established. However, the findings demonstrate that there are emerging challenges stemming from the process. More often than not, they are associated with the need for suitable training, difficulties in establishing an appropriate work-life balance, and disparities between the traditional organisational culture and digitalisation. (original abstract)

Słowa kluczowe

EN

e-government; Public sector; Local government; Leadership

PL

e-administracja; Sektor publiczny; Samorząd terytorialny; Przywództwo

• Czasopismo: Forum Scientiae Oeconomia
• Rocznik: 2022
• Tom: 10
• Numer: nr 2
• Strony: 173--191

Twórcy

autor

Irma Rybnikova

• Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences, Germany

autor

Vita Juknevičienė

• Šiauliai Academy, Vilnius University, Lithuania; University of Johannesburg, South Africa

autor

Rita Toleikienė

• Šiauliai Academy, Vilnius University, Lithuania

autor

Nora Leach

• University of Nottingham, United Kingdom

autor

Inese Āboliņa

• University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia

autor

Iveta Reinholde

• University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia

autor

Janika Sillamäe

• University of Tartu, Estonia

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Identyfikatory

DOI

10.23762/FSO_VOL10_NO2_9