Has COVID-19 Accelerated Digital Transformation? Initial Lessons Learned for Public Administrations

ABSTRACT

In the context of the impact of COVID-19 on management information systems, there have been many reports of accelerated digital transformation, including in public administration institutions. I discuss the meaning of the term digital transformation and consider whether the actions taken so far by public administrations in the face of COVID-19 are actually conducive to digital transformation, or just digitalization alone. Conclusions may suggest how to use this COVID-19 induced experience in planning digital transformation.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• digital transformation
• digitalization
• public administration

Acknowledgments

With gratitude, I wish to thank my interviewees for generously providing information about their daily working lives in and on behalf of public administration institutions.

Author contribution

Renata Gabryelczyk, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw, Poland. Her academic experience includes involvement in research projects at the Polish National Science Center, and research fellowships at universities in Saarbrücken, Heidelberg, Constance, and Ulm, Germany, and Vienna, Austria. Her research interests include business process management, performance management, and applications of ICTs in management. She is the author and co-author of four monographs and numerous scientific papers. She is a member of the program board of the Polish Certificate of BPMN at the Polish Academy of Sciences.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Polish National Science Centre, Poland, Grant No. 2017/27/B/HS4/01734.

Notes on contributors

Renata Gabryelczyk

Renata Gabryelczyk, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw, Poland. Her academic experience includes involvement in research projects at the Polish National Science Center, and research fellowships at universities in Saarbrücken, Heidelberg, Constance, and Ulm, Germany, and Vienna, Austria. Her research interests include business process management, performance management, and applications of ICTs in management. She is the author and co-author of four monographs and numerous scientific papers. She is a member of the program board of the Polish Certificate of BPMN at the Polish Academy of Sciences