Design and Evaluation of Digital Administrative Support Systems for Secretarial Efficiency

Thesis Abstract

The rapid advancement of information and communication technologies has transformed administrative functions, highlighting the necessity for secretaries and administrative professionals to adopt digital support systems to enhance efficiency and productivity. Despite this paradigm shift, many organizations continue to rely on traditional manual processes, resulting in inefficiencies, increased errors, and suboptimal utilization of secretarial skills. This study aims to design and evaluate a comprehensive digital administrative support system tailored to improve secretarial efficiency within corporate environments. Specific objectives include identifying key functional requirements for such systems, developing a prototype aligned with user needs, and empirically assessing its impact on secretarial performance and organizational workflow. Adopting a mixed-methods research design, the study integrates qualitative and quantitative approaches to comprehensively address the research objectives. The qualitative component involves semi-structured interviews with 20 secretaries and administrative managers from a diverse sample of 10 medium-to-large organizations, aimed at exploring current challenges, system requirements, and user expectations. The quantitative component employs a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design involving 60 secretaries randomly assigned to control and experimental groups across five organizations. The experimental group utilizes the newly developed digital support system, whereas the control continues traditional methods. Data collection instruments comprise structured questionnaires assessing secretarial efficiency, task completion time, error rates, and satisfaction levels, along with system usability scales. Validity and reliability are established through pilot testing, expert review, and Cronbach's alpha coefficients exceeding 0.8. Data analysis employs descriptive statistics such as means and standard deviations to profile participants' responses, while inferential techniques—specifically paired t-tests and multiple regression analysis—are used to evaluate differences and relationships between variables. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts provides contextually rich insights into system acceptance and perceived benefits, guided by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Model specification incorporates variables such as perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, behavioral intention, and actual system usage. Expected findings indicate that the digital administrative support system will significantly reduce task completion times, decrease error rates, and enhance secretarial satisfaction and confidence in their tasks. Additionally, the study anticipates identifying critical success factors for system adoption, such as user training, system usability, and management support. It is hypothesized that System Usability Scale scores will positively influence behavioral intentions and actual system utilization, consistent with TAM. This research contributes to existing knowledge by providing an evidence-based framework for designing digital support tools tailored to secretarial functions, filling the research gap regarding their practical implementation and measurable outcomes. The study offers a practical blueprint for organizations seeking technological integration to optimize secretarial roles, with broader implications for administrative efficiency in evolving digital workplaces. The study concludes that well-designed, user-centered digital administrative support systems significantly improve secretarial efficiency, quality of work, and job satisfaction. Consequently, it recommends that organizations invest in training and continuous system evaluation, foster organizational support for digital adoption, and engage secretarial staff in the design process for future system enhancements. Further research is suggested to explore longitudinal impacts, scalability issues, and integration with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems across various organizational contexts.