Digital leadership in Turkish public administration

Information technology, one of the most rapidly developing fields of the 21st century, has enabled digitalization to spread to every area of life. With the development of information technology, the world has become digitalized. Digitalization is present in every sector and field, from the private sector to the public sector. Digitalization has also found its place in the fields of public administration and leadership, and these fields are adapting to digitalization day by day. In public institutions where digitalization has taken place, there have been developments that positively affect both the state and citizens in many areas, such as the rapid completion of transactions, the prevention of time loss, and the reduction of paperwork. The advancement of digitalization has also influenced leadership concepts. With this development, traditional leadership methods have begun to be abandoned, and digital leadership, a new form of leadership that actively utilizes digital technologies, has started to be preferred. This theoretical study was prepared to examine the applicability of digital leadership in Turkish public administration. It focuses on whether digitalization, which is a new but rapidly developing phenomenon, is applicable in public institutions, the adequacy of infrastructure, the readiness of leaders and managers for digital technologies, their acceptance of digitalization, and their ability to implement it in their institutions. Given the lack of sufficient research on digitalization, digital transformation, and digital leadership in Turkish public administration, it is anticipated that the data and insights obtained in this study will contribute to the existing literature. Digital transformation in Turkish public administration has gained momentum with the steps taken since the early 2000s. The development and widespread use of the eGovernment Portal and the provision of public services through digital platforms are the most prominent indicators of this process. However, it can be said that digital applications in Turkish public administration are generally at an intermediate level. While many services have been digitized and made available to citizens, it is not yet possible to say that all activities, services, and processes have been fully digitized. Additionally, the necessary internal or inter-institutional infrastructure and superstructure for Turkish public administration institutions to implement digitization and digital leadership is not yet sufficient in all institutions. As a result, the seamless execution of online transactions has not yet been fully achieved.