# Job Demands and Resources During Digital Transformation in Public Administration: A Qualitative Study

## TL;DR

This study explores how digital transformation affects employee well-being in public administration by examining job and individual resources and demands through interviews with employees and supervisors.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the psychological impacts of digital transformation in public administration, emphasizing leadership and communication as key resources.

## Key findings

- Individual resources like technical affinity and willingness to learn were identified as important for coping with digital transformation.
- Job resources such as transparent communication and attentive leadership were linked to better psychological well-being.
- Job demands like inadequate planning and lengthy procedures, along with personal concerns about change, were found to increase stress.

## Abstract

Digital transformation poses significant challenges to employee well-being, particularly in public administration, where hierarchical structures, increasing digitalization pressures, and high mental health-related absenteeism underscore the need to understand individual and job demands and resources. This study explores these aspects from the perspectives of employees and supervisors in public administration. Between September 2023 and February 2024, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight employees and eleven supervisors from public administration organizations in Northern Germany and analyzed using deductive–inductive qualitative content analysis based on the Job Demands-Resources model. Identified individual resources included technical affinity, error tolerance, and willingness to learn, while key job resources involved early and transparent communication, attentive leadership, technical support, and counseling services, with most job resources linked to leadership behavior and work organization. Reported job demands comprised insufficient participation, inadequate planning, and lengthy procedures, whereas personal demands included fears and concerns about upcoming changes and negative attitudes toward transformation. The variation in perceived demands and resources highlights the individuality of the employees’ experiences. The findings provide initial insights into factors influencing psychological well-being at work during digital transformation, emphasizing the importance of participatory communication, employee involvement, leadership awareness of stressors, and competence development. Future research should employ longitudinal and interventional designs to improve causal understanding and generalizability.