Digital Transformation in Public Sector Secretarial Functions: A Case Study of Seoul Metropolitan City Hall

Thesis Abstract

The accelerating adoption of digital technologies within public administration has intensified the need to understand how secretarial functions can be reengineered to enhance responsiveness, accountability, and efficiency in city governance. This study investigates digital transformation in the secretarial functions of Seoul Metropolitan City Hall, addressing the problem of how digitization affects administrative workflows, decision-support processes, and service delivery in a high-demand urban setting. The aim is to evaluate the extent, drivers, and consequences of digital transformation on secretarial roles, with specific objectives to (1) map current digital capabilities and gaps in secretarial operations, (2) examine the alignment of digital initiatives with organizational strategy and public service expectations, (3) assess the impact of digital tools onSecretary productivity, accuracy, and turnaround times, (4) identify organizational, cultural, and technological barriers to transformation, and (5) propose a framework for scaled and sustainable digitization in municipal secretarial practice. The study employs a mixed-methods design anchored in the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework and the Resource-Based View (RBV) to explain adoption decisions and performance outcomes. The population comprises all secretarial units within Seoul Metropolitan City Hall, with a purposive sample of 12 high-visibility units and 6 collateral support units, totaling 250 staff members. Quantitative data are gathered from a structured survey administered to 180 respondents (response rate ~72%), measuring variables including digital maturity, process standardization, information security, user satisfaction, and operational performance indicators. Qualitative data come from 24 in-depth interviews with senior secretaries, office managers, IT liaison officers, and two external auditors, along with 8 focus groups involving 6–8 participants each to capture diverse perspectives on workflow redesign and change management. Instrument validity is established via content validity panels with municipal officials and pilot testing (n=30). Reliability is ensured through Cronbach’s alpha (? ? 0. seven to 0.92 across scales). Data analysis employs descriptive statistics and advanced inferential techniques multiple regression to test the impact of digital capability on workflow efficiency, structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the causal relationships among digital maturity, governance, and performance outcomes, and thematic analysis for interview and focus group transcripts to derive emergent patterns and cross-validate quantitative results. A grounded theory approach supplements qualitative findings to illuminate unanticipated transformational mechanisms. Data triangulation reinforces the interpretation of results, while robustness checks include bootstrapping in SEM and variance inflation factor (VIF) assessments to address multicollinearity. Key expected findings include (a) a positive association between mature digital platforms (document management, e-procurement, and collaborative workspaces) and reduced cycle times for routine secretarial processes; (b) improved accuracy, traceability, and auditability of records due to standardized digital workflows, with measurable gains in compliance metrics; (c) critical moderating effects of organizational culture and IT governance on the relationship between digital maturity and performance gains; (d) identification of cybersecurity and user training gaps that constrain effective utilization of digital tools; and (e) differential impacts across units based on task complexity and stakeholder interaction intensity. The study anticipates that Seoul’s transformational outcomes will reflect a balance between centralized policy enforcement and unit-level autonomy in process redesign, with best practices in change management including targeted capacity-building and explicit accountability mechanisms. The contribution to knowledge lies in (i) providing an empirically grounded, scalable model of digital transformation for municipal secretarial functions within a densely urban context, (ii) clarifying the interplay between technology, organizational capabilities, and governance in public administration, and (iii) delivering a practical framework for policy-makers and practitioners that outlines steps for digitization, risk mitigation, and performance measurement. The study concludes that sustained digitization requires coherent alignment of digital platforms with administrative procedures, continuous training, strong data governance, and a participatory change management approach that engages front-line secretaries as co-designers of digital workflows. Recommendations include establishing a city-wide secretarial digital maturity roadmap, formalizing data governance and security protocols, instituting ongoing user-education programs, and creating a monitoring dashboard that tracks cycle times, error rates, and user satisfaction to guide iterative improvements.