Decoding the digital landscape : an empirically validated model for assessing digitalisation across public administration levels

Aristovnik, Aleksander (author), Ravšelj, Dejan (author), Murko, Eva (author)

This research advances the field of digital government by developing and empirically validating a model for measuring the digital state of public administration, with a specific focus on Slovenia. Moving beyond traditional digital maturity models, our study introduces a holistic framework that integrates elements of technology, process, structure, people and organisational culture, enriched by dimensions of digital principles, good governance, and external environmental factors. This framework is grounded in an adaptation of Leavitt’s diamond model, tailored to capture the nuances of digitalisation in public administration. The empirical validation is conducted through a comprehensive questionnaire administered to Slovenian public administration organisations at both local and state levels. The results provide a nuanced understanding of the current digital state that extends beyond technological aspects, including process optimisation, organisational structure, people elements and culture dynamics, and insights into internal and external barriers to digitalisation as well as principles of good governance and digitalisation. The study’s results show that ministries in Slovenia generally possess a more advanced digital infrastructure than municipalities, particularly in various aspects of ICT development and integration. While Slovenia aspires to align with the EU digital strategy, it faces various challenges, particularly at the municipal level, in achieving coherent development of digital skills and policy implementation. The comprehensive approach allows for a more informed evaluation of digital transformation efforts, offering insights into areas of strength and opportunities for further development. The findings have significant implications for policymakers and stakeholders, highlighting critical areas for targeted improvement and strategic planning in the digitalisation of public administration.

• Language: English
• Keywords: theoretical framework, digitalisation measurement model, public administration, public organisation, Leavitt’s diamond model
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FU - Faculty of Administration
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 1-22
• Numbering: Vol. 14, iss. 3
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-154766
• UDC: 35:004-028.27
• ISSN on article: 2076-3387
• DOI: 10.3390/admsci14030041
• COBISS.SI-ID: 187269635
• Publication date in RUL: 29.02.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Administrative sciences
• Shortened title: Adm. sci.
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2076-3387
• COBISS.SI-ID: 520095769

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: teoretični okvir, model merjenja digitalizacije, javna uprava, javna organizacija, Leavittov diamantni model

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P5-0093
• Name: Razvoj sistema učinkovite in uspešne javne uprave

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: J5-1789
• Name: Spremembe upravljanja in izvajanja storitev javne uprave v dobi digitalizacije