From Bureaucratic Compliance to Organizational Agility: Rethinking Public Sector Reform in the Digital Era
Keywords:
Bureaucratic reform, agile public organization, agile governance, digital transformation, organizational resilience, public valueAbstract
Bureaucratic reform has long been recognized as a strategic agenda for improving public governance. However, conventional reform approaches that primarily emphasize structural restructuring, procedural simplification, and administrative accountability are increasingly insufficient to address the growing complexity, uncertainty, and digital transformation facing the public sector. This article aims to re-examine the paradigm of bureaucratic reform from the perspective of the Agile Public Organization and to propose a conceptual model of next-generation bureaucratic reform. The study employs a conceptual paper approach using an integrative literature review that synthesizes theories and empirical findings on bureaucratic reform, agile governance, digital government, organizational resilience, dynamic capabilities, and public value. The synthesis reveals that bureaucratic reform should shift from an administrative compliance orientation toward the development of adaptive organizational capabilities. An agile public organization is built upon five core capabilities: adaptive leadership, digital capability, cross-sector collaboration, organizational learning and innovation, and public value orientation. These capabilities are operationalized through agile governance mechanisms that enhance organizational agility, organizational resilience, innovation, and public service performance. The primary contribution of this article is the development of a conceptual model of next-generation bureaucratic reform that integrates multiple perspectives in public administration into a comprehensive framework. The proposed model provides both a theoretical foundation and practical guidance for strengthening bureaucratic reform and advancing the transformation of public sector organizations in the digital era.
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