SpringerBriefs in Business Eleonora Veglianti Working Environment and Digital Transformation Challenges for the Public Sector SpringerBriefs in Business SpringerBriefs present concise summaries of cutting-edge research and practical applications across a wide spectrum of fields. Featuring compact volumes of 50 to 125 pages, the series covers a range of content from professional to academic. 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Eleonora Veglianti Working Environment and Digital Transformation Challenges for the Public Sector EleonoraVeglianti UniversityCatholicofLille Lille,France ISSN2191-5482 ISSN2191-5490 (electronic) SpringerBriefsinBusiness ISBN978-3-031-16737-9 ISBN978-3-031-16738-6 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16738-6 ©TheAuthor(s),underexclusivelicensetoSpringerNatureSwitzerlandAG2023 Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsaresolelyandexclusivelylicensedbythePublisher,whether thewholeorpartofthematerialisconcerned,specificallytherightsoftranslation,reprinting,reuseof illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similarordissimilarmethodologynowknownorhereafterdeveloped. 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Foreword The Industry 4.0. and the digital transformation introduce radical changes among organizations.Insuchcontext,thediffusionofICTs(informationandcommunica- tiontechnologies)playsarelevantroleinturningthetraditionalworksettingupside down. Moreover, the rise of unexpected events such as the COVID-19 pandemic requiredanimportanttransitionformanyorganizationalentities.Thus,notonlythe digitaleraenhancesmanychallengesfororganizations. Insuchscenario,anincreasingnumberofquestionsemergedinthebrightdebate both among illustrious scholars as well as acclaimed practitioners. Some decisive questionsare:WhichistheroleoftheIndustry4.0andofthedigitaltransformation in creating a new work setting within organizations? Are technologies relevant drivers for this change? What does a new work setting mean for an organization? Doesithelporganizationstobesmarterthaninthepastandtobereadytothecurrent digitalrevolution? Therefore,today,therulesofseveralorganizationshavechanged.Manyassump- tionsofthepre-digitalperioderaarenolongerreasonableandappropriate.Interest- ingly, this does not mean that organizations are extinct; however, they have to transform. Nowadays,transformationhasawiderconnotation.Intheorganizationalresearch field, it shows the necessity to rethink, without frustration but with a healthy common sense, about many elements such as the organizational structure, the organizationalculture,theimpactofexternalenvironment,etc. A mission that seems impossible; however, the good news is that it is feasible. Mostly,itisneededtohelporganizationstoadaptandthriveinadigitalworldoften threatenedbyuniqueandunexpectedevents.Therefore,pre-digitaleraorganizations are not anymore potentially successful as pre-COVID-19 organizations. In fact, todaymorethanever,anunexpectedeventsuchastheCOVID-19pandemiccrisis isrevolutionizingarelevantaspectoftheorganization:theworksetting. The work transformation is a challenging phenomenon having an immense importance for organizations, in general, as well as for employees, in particular. vii viii Foreword Goingtowardasmarterworkapproachisnotafutureperspective,itisapurereality. Itispartofourlivesasindividualanditispartofourorganizationaldevelopment. In other words, organizations have to transform themselves to prosper in the currentdigitalizationperiod,exploringtheimplementationofsmartworkingwithout pre-set,andsometimeobsolete,boundariesandconstrictions. Inpursuingtheunderstandingofthischallengingphenomenon,investigatingon itsstateoftheartusingtheorganizationallensisaninspiringandcaptivatingtask. In line with this aim, the present book provides a significant and remarkable contribution drawing, based on the valuable literature, the actual picture of many concepts and features beloved in the organization field. Thus, this work covers a relevant lack identifying the main insights regarding the smart working approach implementation and the related topics and issues presenting an important scientific literaturereview. In covering this emergent gap, the literature and the empirical side should pay more attention in capturing new insights to propel the discussion about the future path of our organizations. Concepts such as Industry 4.0, digital transformation, workplace transition, smart working approach should be clear and always in the mindofthosewhocareaboutthefutureoftheorganizations. A holistic view is needed and a look to organizations as entities in evolution is fundamental, instead than stable entities. Organizations learnt from a shock event suchastheCOVID-19pandemic;someofthemweremoreabletohandlethecrisis while others less. However, the extinction was avoided but the change has been inevitable. Anewworkframeworkquicklycame outrequiring thescientificcommunityto discussabouttraditionalandnewfeaturesinatransformationsetting,withthemain goalsofcreatingbenefitsbothatorganizationalandindividuallevels.Specifically,a sectorshouldbethestartingpointandtheendingpointofeachscientificreflection. Thus,onecentralpointofthisbookistodefinesmartworkinglookingatasectorto betterinvestigateitsmeanings. In the today’s complex organizational environment, the academic world has to contribute much more to the overall understanding of the nature of the work transformation,especiallyinthisuniquecrisiscontext. Now, more than in the past, the work setting scenario is a flourished topic that demands a detailed and an acute rethinking of a bunch of traditional aspects and paradigms.Indeed,theworksystemiscomposedbytheinterplayoftasks,technol- ogies,andpeople(vomBrockeandRosemann2014). Smartworkingadoptionspreadsasacompulsoryexperimentinmostofthecases to guarantee safety during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, now, it shines as a solution. Smartworkingregeneratesthetraditionalworkmodelseveninthosesectorsthat were unaware of it such as the public one. Indeed, this book presentsnew insights regardingsmartworkingdrawingalsoonotherimportantbackgroundtopicsandon thoseelementsthatdefinetheactualorganizationaltransformation.Itillustratesthe mostsignificantaspectsthatourorganizationsfaceinthecurrentera. Foreword ix However, the crucial development of this entire book refers to smart working presenting its state of the art from different angles and analysing several relevant dimensions as a side. In addition, it sheds light on the public organizations in the ItaliancontextwhichwasacountrydeeplydamagedbytheCOVID-19crisis. The author dedicates higher emphasis on the public organizations which, given their peculiarities, are considering the smart working not as a mere model to be compliant with the legal sphere but as a powerful organizational approach. In academia, the debate about organizations and organizing as tools, especially to managetheunexpected,isstronglyacceptedandthisbookprovidesmanyinterest- inginsights. Followingthesesubstantialpurposes,thisvolumewiselypresentsthetheoretical background highlighting through its analyses numerous understandings toward the smartworkingimplementation. Moreover, thanks to the attention to the public organizations with a case approach,itexploresaninterestingexampledealingwiththeUniversityofTurin. Thisbookprovidestothescientificandtothepractitioners’sphereanoutstanding analysis as well as inputs and implications which are a precious base for further reflections. In conclusion, in a digital transformation era often characterized by unexpected events and by a volatile context, as suggested by this work, organizations have to decipherthechaos.Withthisaiminmind,organizationscholarshavetoreorganize theworksettingwithoutforgettingthehuman–technologyrelationship. Reference vom Brocke J, Rosemann M (2014) Business process management. In: Wiley EncyclopediaofManagement(ed)Managementinformationsystems.VanNostrand Reinhold,NewYork Preface Nowadays, a number of topics and issues are unquestionably influential in the organizational literature as well as in organizations lives. Among these, digital transformation and work transformation are getting an increasing attention among academics and practitioners. Moreover, these themes are interesting, especially during unexpected events such as the COVID-19 pandemic which underlines muchmoretheimportanceofmanagingforeffectiveness. The latter calls into question many features related to the organization manage- ment both in theoretical and practical terms. In other words, in the current period, characterizedbyauniqueandunpredictablesituation,someofthemainparadigms intheorganizationfieldshouldbe(re)thought.Morethaninthepast,organizations and people have to understand their near future profiling their surroundings (FlyverbomandGarsten2021). The point of transforming some conceptualizations is needed given the wind of changethatstartedmainlywiththeIndustry4.0andwiththedigitaltransformation phenomenon which requires a more profound scientific reflection. Indeed, in con- trast to previous visions of the organization, more flexible models are emerging to improve the organization’s effectiveness and efficiency. In fact, the spread of innovativetechnologiesfostersneworganizationalconfigurationscreatingdifferent approachesinthestructureandinthecultureofanentity. Furthermore, the COVID-19 crisis pushed a worldwide experiment to mainly guaranteethesafetyofmanyemployeesfromthedangerousviruswhich(re)opens the discussion about a dormant element in organization field: the work setting transformation. This matter represents the evolution of work that is a relevant challengeforsomeorganizations. The phenomenon of smart working seems apparently simple; however, it is complex. It includes several aspects such as: the technological development, the riseofdigitalsolutions,theimportanceofnewskillsandcapabilitiesamongpeople, the increase of a needed organizational flexibility, the emergence of smart and sustainable entities, the search for a balance between work and private life, just to mentionsomeofthemainaspectstohaveinmind. xi