Collaboration, Co-Creation, and Project-Based Learning to Enhance Digital Governance in Greece

The governance of digital public organizations hinges on two fundamental elements: clear decision-making rights supported by a robust accountability framework, and the integration of emerging technologies facilitated by collaborative methods and tools. In Greece's public administration, collaboration shortcomings stem from fragmented responsibilities, inconsistent policy implementation across different levels of government, weak horizontal coordination, limited utilization of digital collaborative tools, and insufficient stakeholder engagement. The Hellenic National School of Public Administration and Local Government (ESDDA) has proactively addressed these issues by promoting educational programs, that foster the development of new administrative executives through collaborative methods by implementing Project-Based Learning (PBL), while simultaneously utilizing a variety of collaborative tools. This approach aims to cultivate advanced digital and collaborative competencies among public administration executives, catalyzing a transformation in traditional practices. The study evaluates the impact of ESDDA's methodology through the lens of learning outcomes, the impact assessment of these courses, and the factors that contribute to the digital governance. A mixed method of qualitative and quantitative field research is designed and the analysis includes 630 Greek public administration officials. An exploratory data analysis (EDA) was conducted, along with inferential methods such as the Chi-Square Test (X<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup>) for independence and the t-test for mean differences. Additionally, logistic regression was used to predict the factors that affect the use of collaborative methods and tools, contributing to digital transformation in public administration. The analysis uncovers significant improvements in digital competencies, demonstrating that the synergy between these competencies reinforces digital transformation initiatives. Training in digital collaborative methods and tools can foster the creation of new collaborative groups, human networks, and learning communities. This, in turn, can redefine the principles of knowledge management, transforming public administration bodies into learning organizations. Such transformation is crucial for enhancing competitiveness in the digital age, promoting digital transformation, and improving administrative effectiveness for the greater good. Most importantly, the findings emphasize that sustainable governance is rooted in collaboration, and the development of adaptive, learning-focused public institutions.