The role of cognitive flexibility in civil service under conditions of digital governance transformation

Abstract

In the digital age, the effectiveness and sustainability of management decisions in public administration are not determined by the level of technological equipment, but rather by the evolving role of civil servants as decision-makers. The increased use of digital and algorithmic technologies in public administration is accompanied by growing demands for the justification, accountability, and predictability of management actions. At the same time, the logic of the analytical models used in the decision-making process is becoming less transparent. The article examines the phenomenon of the algorithmic «black box» as an institutional challenge to the public service system. It also analyzes the role of the mental flexibility of civil servants in the context of algorithmically mediated management. According to the author, the digital transformation of public administration makes procedures for interpreting, verifying, and explaining management decisions more important. In the context of digitalization, the stability and legitimacy of public administration depend on civil servants’ ability to anticipate the social and institutional consequences of their decisions and prevent administrative responsibility from being transferred to opaque algorithmic models.