A Framework for Digital-First Secretarial Management Capability Model

Thesis Abstract

The rapid digitization of administrative functions within contemporary organizations has redefined the role and competencies of secretaries, necessitating a coherent framework that integrates digital capabilities with strategic management practices to sustain organizational efficiency and resilience. This study addresses the problem of inconsistent digital-first practices in secretarial management and the lack of a comprehensive model that ties digital competencies to managerial effectiveness, coordination, and value creation. The aim is to develop and validate a Digital-First Secretarial Management Capability Model (DF-SMCM) that explicates the constructs, relationships, and measurement indicators essential for high-performance secretarial function in digitally enabled environments. Specific objectives are (1) to identify core digital competencies and managerial capabilities required for modern secretarial roles; (2) to develop a theoretical framework linking digital literacy, process automation, information governance, and strategic support to organizational outcomes; (3) to formulate measurable indicators and a diagnostic instrument for assessing digital-first secretarial capability; (4) to empirically validate the model across diverse organizational contexts; and (5) to propose implementation guidelines and policy recommendations for human resource development and organizational design. The study adopts a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. In the quantitative phase, a cross-sectional survey will be administered to 420 secretarial and administrative professionals across five industries in two metropolitan regions, with a response rate target of 75% and a final usable sample of approximately 315 respondents. The instrument will be developed from an integrated framework combining Digital Literacy for Secretaries (DLS), Secretarial Process Automation Maturity (SPAM), Information Governance and Compliance (IGC), and Strategic Support Capacity (SSC). Validity will be established through content validity by a panel of five domain experts and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the measurement model. Reliability will be assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability. Data analysis will employ structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the hypothesized relationships among latent constructs and to evaluate model fit indices (CFI, TLI, RMSEA). In the qualitative phase, purposefully selected 20 participants representing high, medium, and low digital capability profiles will undergo semi-structured interviews to illuminate contextual nuances, complement survey findings, and refine the model. Thematic analysis will be conducted using a coding framework aligned with the DF-SMCM constructs, with triangulation to ensure credibility. Key expected findings include (i) identification of a core set of digital competencies—digital literacy, data management, cybersecurity awareness, and use of collaboration and automation tools—strongly predicting effective secretarial performance; (ii) evidence that higher levels of automation maturity and formal information governance practices significantly mediate the relationship between digital capability and strategic support outcomes; (iii) validation of a parsimonious measurement model with robust reliability and construct validity, and (iv) qualitative insights into organizational enablers and barriers, such as leadership support, training quality, and role ambiguity, that influence DF-SMCM adoption. The study contributes to knowledge by offering a theoretically grounded, empirically validated model that integrates digital-capability theory with secretarial management scholarship, thereby filling a gap in understanding how digital-first approaches translate into measurable organizational value. The DF-SMCM extends existing competency and technology acceptance theories by situating digital competencies within a governance and strategy-oriented secretarial domain, and provides a practical instrument for diagnostics, development, and benchmarking. Insights will inform human resource practices, including targeted upskilling programs, competency-based selection, and succession planning, as well as organizational design considerations such as workflow redesign and governance structures. The conclusion will articulate a clear roadmap for implementing a digital-first secretarial capability framework, with policy recommendations for professional associations and training providers, and directions for future longitudinal studies to assess the longitudinal impact of DF-SMCM on organizational performance metrics such as decision cycle time, error rates in documentation, and user satisfaction with administrative services.