Research advancements

Paper submitted to European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS) conference 2025 – [3-5 July 2025, Athens]

Title: Unveiling sociotechnical dimensions of digital transformation in the public sector: insights from a literature mapping

Authors: Tomo A., Tursunbayeva A., Berni A. and Mangia G.

Brief description:

This paper maps the literature on digital transformation in the public sector, identifying key pillars and proposing a holistic framework encompassing sociotechnical dimensions.
Using bibliometric analysis, the paper examines new forms of work, technology, employee skills and behaviours, and organizational practices, highlighting their interconnections within the suggested framework. This approach offers a comprehensive perspective with theoretical, practical, and policy implications.
We identify four key sociotechnical dimensions of digital transformation, namely transformation of workplaces and new forms of work, technologies, HRM practices, digital skills and culture. We then reconnect these dimensions into a framework showing their intertwined relationship.
The paper allows for a deeper understanding of the interconnection existing between the diverse sociotechnical dimensions and factors related to the digital transformation, which represents an important step to design more human-centred workplaces and more resource-efficient, sustainable, and agile public sector.
By understanding the sociotechnical dimensions, the study explains how new forms of work shape the design of organizational models promoting human-centred workplaces, efficiency, sustainability and agility in the public sector, ultimately fostering better adoption of digital transformation strategies.

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Paper submitted to the Italian Chapter of Association for Information Systems (itAIS) conference 2024 – [11-12 October 2024, Piacenza]

Title: Digital skills and maturity in the public sector: reviewing EU guidelines

Authors: Gaysina L., Tursunbayeva A., Berni A. and Tomo A.

Brief description:

This study provides a scoping review examining “grey” literature around digitalization practices and digital skills in the public sector in EU member countries. It makes a theoretical contribution by proposing a framework for analyzing 21st-century digital skills in the public sector with different stages of digitalization maturity, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive policy guidelines that are linked with digital skills development. This study also offers recommendations for practitioners and suggests avenues for future research.

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Paper submitted to European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS) conference 2024 – [4-6 July 2024, Milan]

Title: Making sense of the (home) workplace during and after COVID-19: the experience from the Italian public sector

Authors: Tomo A.

Brief description:

This paper explores how public employees reacted to the pandemic and organized their home workplaces to deal with the lockdown. The paper takes the perspective of smart working as a regime with some constitutive logics that also bring an identity project to explore issues of individual identity and sensemaking within a context characterized by “distance” that constrained employees working from home. Therefore, there is an interest in understanding the impact the re-organization of (home) workplace had on public employees’ identities, their work and private lives, since feeling in tune with the workplace may support people increasing identification and commitment with the organization.
The paper employs an ethnographic approach combining photo-elicitation with interviews to Italian public employees.
The paper contributes to the literature on identity and workplace in the public sector but also provides a practical and policy implications for public administrations willing to continue enabling smart working for their employees.

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Paper submitted to European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS) conference 2024 – [4-6 July 2024, Milan]

Title: Human-centred and sustainable future of work in the Italian public sector

Authors: Tomo A., Tursunbayeva A., Pezzillo Iacono M., Antonelli G., Berni A.

Brief description:

This research aims to explore the new forms of work facilitated by technology and digital tools, and how they contribute to the development of agile and sustainable organizational models within the public sector. In this context, the research will establish connections between the public sector, agile working methods, human-centered and ethical development, implementation, usage, and sustainability.
The research also aims to deepen our understanding of both the positive and negative aspects of these new forms of work, as well as the associated HRM practices and underlying technologies. This approach seeks to provide a comprehensive perspective that supports theoretical, practical, and policy implications.

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Paper submitted to International Forum on Knowledge Asset Dynamics (IFKAD) 2024 – [12-14 June 2024, Madrid]

Title: Towards an agile public sector: reinventing the public administration by designing human-centred and sustainable organizational models, HRM practices and work(places)

Authors: Tomo A., Tursunbayeva A., Pezzillo Iacono M., Antonelli G., Berni A.

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Paper submitter to ‘BEING-SEA’ Alliance conference 2024 – [10-12 June 2024, Malta]

Title: Technology-enabled agile working arrangements, and HRM practices in the public sector: a literature review of case studies

Authors: Gaysina L., Tursunbayeva A., Berni A., Tomo A.

Brief description:

This paper examines a range of case studies present in the literature related to the introduction of technology-driven solutions within public sector organisations in different countries. A total number of 51 case studies is collected and analysed at 3 levels: micro (individual), meso (organisational), and macro (societal). Leavitt’s (1965) diamond model comprising four key elements: task, people, technology, and structure, is used as a theoretical framework to guide the case studies review. Through conducting a thorough case studies analysis, the research contributes to the literature on technology implementation and adaptation in the public sector. It encourages a deeper understanding of the diversity of technology-driven organizational practices including new ways of working implemented globally. This study also seeks to make observations from the reviewed case studies concerning successful and unsuccessful public sector HRM practices, that might be useful for policymakers and organisational leaders operating in the public sector. 

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Paper submitted to European Group for Public Administration (EGPA) 2024 Spring Workshop – [9-10 May 2024, Matera]

Title: Digital transformation of the public sector: designing a human-centred and sustainable future of work

Authors: Tomo A., Tursunbayeva A., Pezzillo Iacono M., Antonelli G., Berni A.

Brief description:

The present paper is part of a wider project funded by the Ministry of University and Research (PRIN PNRR 2022) entitled “Towards an agile public sector: reinventing the public administration by designing human-centred and sustainable organizational models, HRM practices and work(places)”. The paper will comprise an integrative and multi-level (macro, meso, and micro) systematic review to problematize the issues related to: (re)conceptualization of agile forms of working, exploration of related working arrangements and underlying technologies, their human-centred and ethical development, implementation, use, implications, and relevant change processes in the public sector. In so doing, the study aims to deepen the understanding of positive and negative aspects of the new forms of work, as well as the associated HRM practices and underlying technologies, supporting useful theoretical, practical, and policy implications.