Political leadership as a foundation for consolidating flat hierarchies in agile governance models for sustainable development under conditions of digital transformation

Keywords: sustainable development, public administration, political leadership, digital leadership, visionary leadership, transformational leadership, adaptive management, agile management, crisis management, agile governance

Abstract

The article focuses attention on the possibility of restoring balance between sustainable development governance systems and socio-economic transformation processes through changing approaches to utilising political leadership practices, which continue to persist in the intangible emotional potential of the social component. The scholarly trajectory of reconceptualising political leadership as a consolidating element of contemporary transformation processes within a dynamic horizon places particular emphasis on the interconnection between leadership and governance processes, and the interdependence of political leadership and information flow sustainability. This may facilitate alignment and balancing of the evolutionary trajectory of the sustainable development system with approaches to constructing governance processes. Furthermore, utilising emotional capital, creative inquiry, and technological capacity can create an internal climate conducive to fostering a culture of organic change. The aim of this article is to provide scholarly substantiation for the possibility of optimally constructing a governance system based on utilising the emotional influence of renewed political leadership as an element of component integration, ensuring structural flexibility and information channel sustainability.
The author emphasises that the growing significance of information as a formative element transforms the internal structure of integration, balancing, and ordering processes, wherein traditional governance hierarchies, in terms of flow ordering levels and information processing speed, are unable to prevent crises and challenges, yet remain the evolutionary foundation of institutional changes in public-private relations. The author asserts that alignment and balancing of the sustainable development governance system with socio-economic transformation processes can presently be realised on the basis of a continuum of more adaptive governance models and reconceptualization of political leadership’s significance as a consolidating element. The author notes that unlocking the potential of shared leadership in renewed governance models, on the one hand, aligns the value-objective chain, whilst on the other, extends its dissemination throughout the system structure, harmonising internal processes. Combining disparate parts into a unified system around shared values creates, on the one hand, a foundation for forming flat hierarchies, whilst on the other, accelerates information exchange and reduces discrete attenuation of managerial influence. Consolidating process actors around a unified political strategy enables continuous reassessment of effectiveness, balancing external commitments with internal context, and comprehensive process improvement.
The article reveals the conceptual and methodological foundations for renewing approaches to constructing sustainable development governance processes through aligning contemporary transformation trajectories with approaches to building management systems. The reconceptualization of leadership’s significance is examined within the dimension of organic consolidation and balanced ordering of internal sustainable development processes during the implementation of contemporary agile governance models.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Oleksii Gibadullin , LLC «UBC Group», 7, st. Lermontovska, Kharkiv, 61024, Ukraine

Doctor of Philosophy in Public Management and Administration,
Human Resources Director of LLC «UBC Group»

References

Agile Governance (supported by Hertie School). (2024). Geneva: WEF,. URL: http://surl.li/pgpzaa

Bartsch, S., Weber, E., Büttgen, M., Huber, A. (2021). Leadership matters in crisis-induced digital transformation: How to lead service employees effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Service Management, vol. 32, no. 1, 71–85. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-05-2020-0160

Behnke, N., Eckhard, S. (2022). A Systemic Perspective on Crisis Management and Resilience in Germany. dms – der moderne staat – Zeitschrift für Public Policy, Recht und Management, vol. 15, no. 1, 3–19. https://doi.org/10.3224/dms.v15i1.11

Bennett, S. (2021). Responding to the pandemic at a national and state public health level. Microbiology Australia, vol. 42, no. 1, 13–17. https://doi.org/10.1071/MA21005

Blühdorn, I. (2020). The Legitimation Crisis of Democracy: emancipatory Politics, the

Environmental State and the Glass Ceiling to Socio-Ecological Transformation. Environmental Politics, vol. 29, no. 1., 38–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2019.1681867

Boin, A., Hart, P., Kuipers, S. (2018). The Crisis Approach. Handbook of Disaster Research /

edited by H. Rodríguez, W. Donner, and J. E. Trainor. 2nd ed. Cham, Switzerland: Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research, P. 23–38. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63254-4_2

Savignon, B., Lorenzo, A. (2024). Project Management Logics for Agile Public Strategic Management. Propositions from the Literature and a Research Agenda, vol. 1, 153–178.

Car-Pušić, D., Marović, I., Bulatović, G. (2020). Development of a hybrid agile management model in local self-government units. Tehnicki Vjesnik – Technical Gazette, vol. 27, no. 5. https://doi.org/10.17559/TV-20190205140719

Cortellazzo, L., Bruni, E., Zampieri, R. (2019). The role of leadership in a digitalized world:

A review. Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 10. Article 1938. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01938

Davidovitz, M., Cohen, N., Gofen, A. (2021). Governmental Response to Crises and Its Implications for Street-Level Implementation: Policy Ambiguity, Risk, and Discretion During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice, vol. 23, no. 1, 120–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/13876988.2020.1841561

Deltaprogramma Rijnmond-Drechtsteden. (2014). Advies Deltaprogramma Rijnmond-Drechtsteden. URL: https://deltaprogramma.pleio.nl/file/download/26859902

Denford, J. S., Dawson, G. S., Desouza, K. C., Manoharan, A. P. (2022). Assessing the Relevance of Governmental Characteristics to Address Wicked Problems in Turbulent Times. Public Management Review. P. 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2022.2124535

Dunayev, I., Byelova, L., Kud, A., Rodchenko, V. (2023). Implementing the “government as a platform” concept: the assessment method and an optimal human-centered structure to address technological challenge. Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies, no. 2/13 (122), 6–16. https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2023.275613

Dunayev, I.V., Orlov, O.V. (2023). National legal regulation of the digital economy and information platforms. Pressing Problems of State Administration, no. 1 (62), 6–21. https://doi.org/10.26565/1684-8489-2023-1-01

Dzigbede, K., Gehl, S.B., Willoughby K. (2020). Disaster Resiliency of US Local Governments: Insights to Strengthen Local Response and Recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic. Public Administration Review, vol. 80, no. 4, 634–643. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13249

Eckhard, S., Lenz, A., Seibel, W., Roth, F., Fatke, M. (2021). Latent Hybridity in Administrative Crisis Management: The German Refugee Crisis of 2015/16. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, vol. 31, no. 2, 416–433. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muaa039

Elmatsani, H.M., Widianingsih, I., Nurasa, H., Munajat, M., Suwanda, S. (2024). Exploring the evolution of leadership in government: a bibliometric study from e-government era into the digital age. Cogent Social Sciences, vol. 10, no. 1. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2414877

Elston, T., Bel, G. (2022). Does Inter-Municipal Collaboration Improve Public Service Resilience? Evidence from Local Authorities in England. Public Management Review, vol. 25, no. 4, 734–761. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2021.2012377

Espina-Romero, L., Noroño Sánchez, J.G., Rojas-Cangahuala, G., Palacios Garay, J., Parra, D.R., Rio Corredoira, J. (2023). Digital leadership in an ever-changing world: A bibliometric analysis of trends and challenges. Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 17. Article 13129. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151713129

Fenwick, M., McCahery, J.A., Vermeulen, E.P.M. (2021). Will the world ever be the same after COVID-19? Two lessons from the first global crisis of a digital age. European Business Organization Law Review, vol. 22, no. 1, 125–145. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40804-020-00194-9

Geiger, D., Danner-Schröder, A., Kremser, W. (2021). Getting Ahead of Time–Performing Temporal Boundaries to Coordinate Routines Under Temporal Uncertainty. Administrative Science Quarterly, vol. 66, no. 1, 220–264. https://doi.org/10.1177/0001839220941010

Hausknost, D. (2020). The Environmental State and the Glass Ceiling of Transformation. Environmental Politics, vol. 29, no. 1, 17–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2019.1680062

Heimer, C., Davis, C. (2022). Good law to fight bad bugs: Legal responses to epidemics. Annual Review of Law and Social Science, vol. 18, no. 1, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-050420-113513

Huda, M. (2024). Elmatsani, Widianingsih I., Nurasa H. Exploring the evolution of leadership in government: a bibliometric study from e-government era into the digital age. Cogent Social Sciences, vol. 10, no. 1. Article 2414877. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2414877

Idzi, F., Gomes, R. (2022). Digital governance: Government strategies that impact public services. Global Public Policy and Governance, vol. 2, no. 4, 427–452. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43508-022-00055-w

Jahn, B., Friedrich, S., Behnke, J. (2022). On the role of data, statistics and decisions in a pandemic. AStA Advances in Statistical Analysis, vol. 106, no. 3, 349–382. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10182-022-00439-7

Kuhlmann, S., Franzke, J. (2022). Multi-Level Responses to COVID-19: Crisis Coordination in Germany from an Intergovernmental Perspective. Local Government Studies, vol. 48, no. 2, 312–334. https://doi.org/10.1080/03003930.2021.1904398

Lenz, A., Eckhard, S. (2022). Conceptualizing and Explaining Flexibility in Administrative Crisis Management: A Cross-District Analysis in Germany. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, vol. 33, no. 3, 485–497. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muac038

Mergel, I., Ganapati, S., Whitford, A. (2021). Agile: A new way of governing. Public Administration Review, vol. 81, no. 1, 161–165. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13202

Mihu, C., Pitic, A., Bayraktar, D. (2023). Drivers of digital transformation and their impact on organizational management. Studies in Business and Economics, vol. 18, no. 1, 149–170. https://doi.org/10.2478/sbe-2023-0009

Munck af Rosenschöld J. Inducing institutional change through projects? (2019). Three models of projectified governance. Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, vol. 21, no. 4,. 333–344. https://doi.org/10.1080/1523908X.2019.1606702

Nielsen, J., Wæraas, A., Dahl, K. (2020). When Management Concepts Enter the Public Sector: A Dual-Level Translation Perspective. Public Management Review, vol. 22, no. 2, 234–254. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2019.1582689

Nolte, I., Lindenmeier, J. (2023). Creeping Crises and Public Administration: A Time for Adaptive Governance Strategies and Cross-Sectoral Collaboration? Public Management Review, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2023.2200459

O’Carroll, L. Leftwing Nordic Nations Provide ‘Ray of Hope’ in Europe. The Guardian. (2024). June 11. URL: https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/11/left-wing-nordic-nations-provide-ray-of-hope-in-europe

O’Flynn, J. (2021). Confronting the Big Challenges of Our Time: Making a Difference During and After COVID-19. Public Management Review, vol. 23, no. 7, 961–980. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2020.1820273

Neumann, O., Pascale-Catherine, K., Schott, C. (2024). Adopting agile in government: a comparative case study. Public Management Review, vol. 26, no. 12, 3692–3714. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2024.2354776

Osman, A., Elragal, A., Ståhlbröst, A. (2022). Data-driven decisions in smart cities:

A digital transformation case study. Applied Sciences, vol. 12, no. 3. Article 1732. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031732

Pauletto, C. (2024). Public management, agility and innovation: The Swiss experience with the COVID-19 loan scheme. International Review of Administrative Sciences, vol. 90, no. 1, 116–131. https://doi.org/10.1177/00208523221143280

Phillips, W., Roehrich, J., Kapletia, D. (2023). Responding to Information Asymmetry in Crisis Situations: Innovation in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Public Management Review, vol. 25, no. 1, 175–198. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2021.1960737

Rocha, Á., Gonçalves, M., da Silva, A., Teixeira, S., Silva, R. (2022). Leadership challenges in the context of university 4.0. A thematic synthesis literature review. Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, vol. 28, no. 3, 214–246. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10588-021-09325-0

Schakel, J.-K., Wolbers, J. (2021). To the Edge and Beyond: How Fast-Response Organizations Adapt in Rapidly Changing Crisis Situations. Human Relations, vol. 74, no. 3, 405–436. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726719893450

Tausendfreund, R., Moraal, M., Campbel, L. Trump 2.0, Green Transition, and Transatlantic Climate Action. 2025. URL: https://surli.cc/kliydj

UN. (2023). General Assembly Resolution 78/80-E/2023/64, Progress Towards the Sustainable Development Goals: Towards a Rescue Plan for People and Planet, Report of the Secretary-General (special edition). New York, 27 April 2023. Para. 50. URL: https://hlpf.un.org/sites/default/files/2023-/SDG%20Progress%20Report%20Special%20Edition.pdf

Velyako, V., Musa, S. (2023). The relationship between digital organizational culture, digital capability, digital innovation, organizational resilience, and competitive advantage. Journal of the Knowledge Economy. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-023-01575-4

Published
2025-12-30
How to Cite
Gibadullin , O. (2025). Political leadership as a foundation for consolidating flat hierarchies in agile governance models for sustainable development under conditions of digital transformation. Pressing Problems of Public Administration, 2(67), 8–34. https://doi.org/10.26565/1684-8489-2025-2-01
Section
Theory and History of Public Administration