E-leadership in local government organizations

Duration of the project

01.06.2019. - 15.11.2019.

Countries and institutions involved in the project

flag-LT
Siauliai University
flag-EE
University of Tartu
flag-LV
University of Latvia
flag-DE
Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences

Aim of the project

Digitalisation as a part of e-government initiatives in public organizations in the Baltic countries represents a huge project in the last few decades that has been boosted with a considerable financial support by the countries and the EU. Within a short period of time, the IT-based communication has become an integral part of the working life in local government organizations. How digitalisation frames leadership processes and what kind of challenges emerge from it in local government organizations remains an under-researched issue with only few studies considering this explicitly (e.g. Rybnikova et al. 2015).

The goals of the project are:

  • To establish a Baltic-German expert group of e-leadership in public contexts
  • To integrate the following research threads: a) leadership in local government organizations b) digitalisation and leadership (e-leadership); c) digitalization in local government organizations with a special focus on the Baltic States and Germany
  • To prepare a multilingual instrument for an empirical qualitative country-comparison of e-leadership in public contexts
  • To conduct a qualitative pre-test study of the instrument, comprising Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Germany.

Main activities of the project

  1. A methodological seminar (1) in Riga (Latvia): kick-off meeting; a discussion of guidelines for literature review (an analysis of the context and research studies performed in partnering countries); a discussion of the guidelines for the research instrument.
  2. Preparing a literature review for conceptualization of the research object. Preparing an overview of the research performed in the Baltic states.
  3. Preparing the interview guide in English. Translation of the instrument into Lithuanian, German, Estonian and Latvian languages.
  4. Conducting an interview with the representatives of the local government (N = 3, in each partner country). Validating the prepared research instrument.
  5. Preparing and analysing the interview transcripts (N = 12) using qualitative context analysis software (e.g. NVivo or MAXQDA).
  6. A methodological seminar (2) in Siauliai (Lithuania): discussing the interview findings (Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia); adapting changes of the interview guide.
  7. Presenting the research findings in national and international conferences and methodological seminars.
  8. Publishing academic articles in the academic journals (e.g. “Social research“).
  9. Promotion of project activities and results. Presentations in local press ( Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia).

Target group and number of persons involved

Direct:

  • The academic staff: No: 4+200
  • Managers and employees in local government organizations in the Baltic States and Germany: 40
  • Students in participating universities: 150

Indirect:

  • The academic staff in the research fields of Public Management, Human Resource Management, Organizational Behaviour and Leadership from the Baltic States and Germany; No: 1.000
  • Managers and employees in local government organizations in the Baltic States and Germany; No: 40.000
  • Students from the non-participating universities in the Baltic States and Germany: 20.000

Public events

  1. Public lecture on research project at University of Latvia (Riga, Latvia) on 11.06.2019

Presenters: I.Rybnikova, I. Reinholde;  M. Vadi; V. Juknevičienė; R.Toleikienė

  1. Presenting the research findings in the international scientific discussion (online in the RENET). RENET – Researchers’ Excellence Network, uniting researchers from more than 40 institutions all around the world. Its activities are oriented to the development of scientific excellence of researchers and enabling of collaboration across disciplines and institutions at local, national and international levels). Results of the research on the e-leadership in the public contexts will be discussed. The discussion will be held at Siauliai University (Lithuania) on 20.09.2019, but transmitted internationally to all RENET members and interested persons.

Presenters :  I.Rybnikova, I. Reinholde;  M. Vadi; V. Juknevičienė; R.Toleikienė

In case of further inquiries, presentations are anticipated in the further public events in the Baltic States (Latvia, Estonia).

Press release