E-leadership has become particularly prominent in the public sector over the last five years. The urgent shift requires more remote work and management via information and communication technologies. In recognition of its ever-growing popularity, the objective of this article is to provide a systematic review of the existing literature on e-leadership within public sector organisations and identify key research approaches and outcomes. The analysis provides a framework of research on e-leadership in public sector entities, by focusing on various theoretical, methodological, empirical and contextual perspectives, specifically tailored to public sector organisations. The detailed framework, presented here, incorporates dimensions, approaches, clusters and findings of previous research (articles, published in the period 2013–2022), aiding a deeper understanding of the phenomenon and its practical implementation. The study complies with PRISMA 2020 requirements. As it shall be demonstrated, interest in the phenomenon surged during the pandemic, particularly within educational and management disciplines. The findings highlight a predominant focus on leadership within educational institutions, whilst areas such as healthcare and public governance remain under-researched. The most common theoretical approach adopted is associated with the transformational leadership theory and encompasses three main interpretations. Specifically, it evaluates e-leadership as a strategic approach, a leadership process and a leadership transformation. Qualitative methodology predominates in e-leadership research within the public sector, with quantitative and mixed-method approaches being less frequent. Addressing the challenges identified by previous research, such as competency and infrastructure deficiencies, is crucial for advancing knowledge of e-leadership in the public sector and improving sustainable performance.

E-leadership (i.e., remotely leading employees) has become a new normal in the public sector during the pandemic. However, practices of e-leadership differ due to legal, national and even organisational conditions. A deeper analysis is needed to understand what has happened with leadership practices in municipalities after the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the article is to reveal the main challenges of e-leadership in the post-pandemic municipal administrations and to identify e-leaders’ approaches (how they should act) in this context. A qualitative method of online focus groups was used to analyze specifics of the post-pandemic e-leadership in municipal administrations. The research was conducted in Lithuanian, Latvian and German municipal administrations. It was revealed that the use of remote work and e-leadership in municipal administrations after the pandemic heavily depends on the attitudes of supervisors toward work productivity. In addition, ensuring effective digital communication as well as managing social contacts and maintaining team spirit become challenges for e-leadership in municipalities after the pandemic also when remote work is reduced.

Ligšioliniuose moksliniuose tyrimuose informacinių komunikacinių technologijų (IKT) naudojimas vietos savivaldos lygmeniu dažniausiai siejamas su procesais, vykstančiais tarp organizacijos ir piliečių, t. y. elektroninėmis paslaugomis ir jų teikimu. E. vadovavimo kaip e. valdžios dimensijos tyrimai, orientuoti į vidinius viešojo administravimo organizacijų veiklos procesus naudojant IKT, iki šiol sulaukė mažiau dėmesio. Ypatingai retai tyrinėtas e. vadovavimas vietos savivaldos kontekste. Nepaisant pirmųjų studijų šia tema, sisteminės e. vadovavimo koncepcijos bei praktikos savivaldybių administracijose analizės, kuri atskleistų, kaip IKT paveikia vadovavimo procesus savivaldybėse, pasigendama tiek Lietuvoje, tiek ir užsienyje. Šiame tyrime gvildenamas klausimas, kaip e. vadovavimas yra susijęs su e. valdžia, kokie yra e. vadovavimo vietos savivaldoje ypatumai, į kuriuos turėtų būti atsižvelgiama svarstant vadovavimo darbuotojams klausimus skaitmenizuojant vietos savivaldą. Tyrime, kuris remiasi mokslinės literatūros šaltinių analize, pažymima, kad skyrium nuo kitų e. valdžios dimensijų, kurios nukreiptos į išorę, t. y. į santykius su piliečiais, teikiant jiems e. paslaugas ar bendrą informaciją, įtraukiant juos į viešojo administravimo organizacijų procesus, e. vadovavimas atspindi e. valdžios dimensiją, nukreiptą į vidinius administracijos procesus, t. y. žmogiškųjų išteklių viešajame sektoriuje valdymą, kai vyksta vadovavimo skaitmenizacijos procesai. COVID-19 pandemijos laikotarpiu padidėjo e. vadovavimo reikšmė viešojo sektoriaus institucijoms. Mokslinės literatūros analizė leidžia daryti išvadą, kad e. vadovavimas vietos savivaldoje reikalauja naujų įgūdžių iš savivaldybių administracijos vadovų, efektyviai naudojant naujus komunikacijos kanalus ir platformas bei suvaldant psichologinius darbuotojams kilusius sunkumus dėl nuotolinio skaitmeninio darbo sąlygotos darbuotojų atskirties. Vietos savivaldos kontekstas betgi reikalauja, kad e. vadovavime toliau būtų prisiderinta prie institucinės aplinkos, susijusios su nacionalinės įstatyminės bazės suponuotomis galimybėmis, institucine sąranga (politiniu-administraciniu dualumu), viešojo administravimo paskirtimi operatyviai atliepti piliečių lūkesčius, užtikrinant veiksmingą organizacijų veiklą, bei ribotais organizaciniais ištekliais.

Different Digital Governance maturity models are established; however, limited research has examined their applicability at the local government level, particularly concerning the interrelations among dimensions such as Strategy, Employees, and Processes. Understanding these connections is vital for municipalities striving to enhance resilience through Digital Governance amidst uncertainties. This study aims to develop, justify, and empirically test a Triadic Model capturing the relationships among its dimensions, assessing Digital Governance maturity in local governments during crisis response. To achieve this, a quantitative survey was conducted across all 60 Lithuanian municipalities, and the collected data were analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to validate the factor structure and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test the hypothesized relationships among variables and latent constructs. The findings reveal significant interrelations among the model’s dimensions in enhancing municipal resilience. Research proposes a comprehensive framework for assessing Digital Governance maturity at three levels—Digital Consistency, Digital Adaptation, and Digital Transformation—and examines their interactive influence during crises. The results highlight how the dimensions of the Triadic Model collectively reflect municipal responses, emphasizing the importance of an integrated, staged approach to digitalization. This validated framework advances understanding of Digital Governance in local authorities and underscores the relevance of interrelated key dimensions for fostering resilience in uncertain contexts. In addition to model validation, the study also explores practical variations in Digital Governance maturity among Lithuanian municipalities, demonstrating the model’s applicability as a diagnostic tool for local governments.

Seeking good governance at local self-government, ethics management is a significant function in a public administration organization, in line with transparency, accountability, responsibility, openness and efficiency. Leadership is a key factor in driving organization towards ethical culture. Given this fact, the aim of this article is to disclose the role of leaders of the municipality in the formation and implementation of the integral ethics management system. The integral system of ethics management in the municipality is measured through the ethics management measures, processes and structures from the perspective of leaders at the political and administrative level, taking Lithuania as a case for the study. Quantitative research in the form of a structured and standardized questionnaire was used. Research sample includes 274 respondents from Lithuanian municipalities. The findings of the research show that the political leader– the mayor of the municipality– is more symbolic one, more as supporter of the ethics management in a municipality, while the administrative leader – the director of the administration (head of the division) – is considered as the main figure in ethics management processes, as well the initiator and the personal example of ethical behavior.