Abstract

Digital transformation has become a strategic priority for public sector institutions seeking to enhance service delivery, operational efficiency, transparency, and citizen engagement. However, empirical evidence on the organizational and leadership determinants of digital transformation success in a developing country’s context remains quite limited. This study therefore examines the relationship among organizational openness, collaboration, employee engagement, leadership support, leadership communication, employee involvement, training, and digital transformation success within Lesotho’s public sector. A quantitative research design was employed, and data were collected through a structured survey administered to Lesotho’s public sector employees. The study utilized Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze both the measurement and structural models. The results indicate that leadership support, employee involvement, and training are positively and significantly associated with digital transformation success. However, employee engagement and leadership communication also demonstrate significant associations, but in a negative direction. Organizational openness and collaboration do not show statistically significant relationships. The model explains 19% of the variance in digital transformation success, indicating weak to moderate explanatory power, with all predictors demonstrating small effect sizes. The findings suggest that digital transformation in Lesotho’s public sector is primarily leadership-driven and capability-based, while engagement and communication dynamics require careful management to avoid unintended negative outcomes. The study contributes to digital transformation and change management literature by providing empirical evidence from a developing-country’s public sector context and offers practical recommendations for policymakers and institutional leaders.

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