Digital Governance Capability as a Dynamic Strategic Capability in Public Sector Digital Transformation Under Institutional and Technological Uncertainty
Jul 2026· American Journal Of Strategic Studies· 0 citations· 34 references
TL;DR
The study advances an integrative framework bridging three governance theories within public sector digital transformation discourse that provides emerging economy governments, particularly Kenya a contextually grounded framework for designing national digital governance policies under institutional complexity.
Abstract
Purpose: This paper repositions digital governance capability as a dynamic strategic capability enabling public institutions to govern emerging technologies effectively and sustain adaptability, resilience, and public service innovation under institutional and technological uncertainty.
Methodology: The study employed a conceptual analytical literature review informed by an interpretivist-constructivist orientation. Evidence was purposively collected from seven scholarly databases (Google Scholar, JSTOR, Scopus, ScienceDirect, SSRN, IEEE Xplore, and ProQuest) and five institutional repositories (OECD, UNESCO, World Bank, African Development Bank, and Smart Africa). Sources published mainly between 2000 and 2024, together with seminal pre-2000 theoretical works, were screened for relevance, methodological quality, geographic diversity, and alignment with the objectives. The evidence was analyzed through a three-stage thematic synthesis comprising initial coding, development of descriptive themes, and analytical interpretation across global, African, and Kenyan public-sector contexts.
Findings: Digital governance capability comprises six dimensions: digital oversight mechanisms, ethical and regulatory governance, data governance, cybersecurity governance, strategic digital alignment, and accountability and transparency mechanisms. Institutional pressures drive capability adoption while technological uncertainty demands adaptive governance responses. Governance capability mediates the relationship between environmental drivers and three outcomes, strategic adaptability, organizational resilience, and public service innovation moderated by leadership support, organizational learning culture, and digital readiness. Kenyan evidence from eCitizen, IFMIS, and KRA illustrates a progression from digital government through digital governance toward AI-enabled governance.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice, and Policy: The study advances an integrative framework bridging three governance theories within public sector digital transformation discourse. The six-dimension model offers public leaders an actionable governance diagnostic. For policy, it provides emerging economy governments, particularly Kenya a contextually grounded framework for designing national digital governance policies under institutional complexity.
Purpose: This paper develops a unified conceptual framework that bridges ten thematic domains of contemporary supply chain management in response to the fragmentation of existing scholarly frameworks.
Methodology: Drawing on a systematic review of Scopus-indexed scholarship published between 2018 and 2025, the paper employs the Contextual Innovation Performance Model (CIPM), originally developed by Sambiri (2022, 2024), as the theoretical architecture through which interdependencies among domains are examined.
Findings: The analysis reveals that resilience, sustainability, and digital innovation have ceased to operate as separate strategic agendas and have instead converged into a single, indivisible performance imperative.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The CIPM Supply Chain Management Framework provides a theoretically grounded and practically actionable integrative architecture for researchers and practitioners, generating four testable research propositions and offering guidance for organisations seeking to build supply chains capable of generating sustained competitive and social value under conditions of persistent uncertainty.
B. Sambiri, A. Baskakova, Ahmed Ashraf et al.· International journal of sup...· 0 citations
This study critically examined the role of innovative capacity in facilitating transformational change within the public sector. It argued that innovation is often overemphasised as a universal solution to governance challenges, yet its effectiveness is contingent upon deeper institutional, organisational and political conditions. Drawing on a qualitative scoping review of literature on public sector innovation, governance and institutional capability, the study synthesised key debates on the drivers, constraints and outcomes of innovation in contemporary public administration. The analysis was grounded in Public Value Theory, the Resource-Based View and New Public Governance, which collectively highlight the interplay between internal organisational capabilities and external governance environments. The findings indicate that innovative capacity is best understood as an embedded and dynamic institutional capability rather than a discrete reform instrument. Whilst leadership, digital transformation, organisational learning and collaborative governance are widely identified as enabling factors, their effectiveness is mediated by bureaucratic structures, regulatory frameworks, political continuity and institutional co-ordination capacity. In many contexts, particularly within developing country public sectors, these constraints limit innovation to incremental adjustments rather than systemic transformation. Digitalisation, whilst an important enabler, often results in “digitised bureaucracy” when not accompanied by organisational reform. The study proposes an Institutional Innovative Capacity Framework (IICF), conceptualising innovation as a multi-level governance system linking enabling capabilities, institutional mediators and public value outcomes. It concludes that sustainable innovation requires integrated institutional reform rather than isolated technological or managerial interventions. The study contributes a more critical and context-sensitive understanding of public sector innovation, emphasising that transformational change depends on the alignment between capability, governance structures and institutional conditions. It also highlights the importance of strengthening state capacity; improving co-ordination mechanisms; and fostering long-term organisational learning to ensure that innovation translates into sustained and meaningful public value outcomes.
Sbongile Nhlapho, Ndwakhulu. Stephen Tshishonga· European Conference on Knowl...· 0 citations
The synthesis identifies three interconnected mechanisms through which digitalization influences Indonesian public governance, and provides evidence-based guidance for policymakers and practitioners to align digital initiatives with the broader objectives of accountable, transparent, and responsive governance in developing economy contexts.
Based on the study findings, Kenyan organizations should move beyond superficial digital adoption by embedding sustainability into core strategies, supported by visible leadership commitment and strong learning cultures and policymakers should prioritize integrated green-digital standards, skills development programs, and incentives for capability building to support Kenya’s twin digital and green transitions.
Doreen Muriu· European journal of business...· 0 citations
The review demonstrates that digital technologies support anticipatory governance, adaptive policy learning, accountability, and collaborative decision-making when supported by appropriate institutional conditions, and introduces the Digital Adaptive Governance Framework (DAGF), which proposes five governance pathways linking digital technology inputs to policy outcomes.
Lwando Mdleleni, B. Ngcamu· Frontiers in Climate· 0 citations
The ESG-digital nexus is developed as a strategic management framework explaining how digital capabilities can strengthen ESG performance and how ESG objectives can discipline digital investment toward long-term value creation.
K. Tan· International Journal of Sci...· 0 citations
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