BUILDING COMPETENCIES FOR MANAGING VIRTUAL TEAMS IN LOCAL PUBLIC ADMINISTRATIONS: CHALLENGES IN THE AGE OF GLOBAL DIGITALIZATION

Objectives. The present article aims to examine the difficulties faced by local governments during their digital transitions, highlighting the urgent need to improve higher education programmes focused on public administration and related fields in order to adequately prepare future public servants for the demands of the digital age. This underscores the significance of practical competencies for effective virtual team management in collaborative projects. Methods/Approaches. A literature-based approach was employed to analyse and summarise scientific literature, thereby identifying theoretical concepts and practical aspects of the digital transformation of local and regional authorities. This approach is combined with a comparative analysis to illustrate the differences between traditional team practices and virtual ones, further commenting on the necessary knowledge and skills that future public servants must develop. In order to ascertain the extent to which the underutilisation of virtual or hybrid teams within local public administrations is attributable to the absence of contemporary training in teamwork in a digital environment, an on-desk study of the publicly available curricula of 14 Bulgarian universities offering Bachelor's and/or Master's degrees in "Public Administration" or a related discipline was conducted. Additionally, a specially designed 16-question, closed-ended online survey was conducted with representatives of 28 Bulgarian local and regional administrations. The survey focused on technological use and opinions on virtual teams and their associated challenges. Results. The paper proposes a conceptual model of core competencies for managing virtual teams within public authorities, which is derived from the study assessing the opportunities to establish and sustain effective virtual teams of 28 NUTS III-level public administrations in a single pilot municipality. The survey data reveal a complex set of interrelated challenges affecting the efficiency and security of virtual teams in local public administrations. These competencies are broadly categorised into three thematic areas: digital competence, procedural infrastructure, and information security. Conclusion. The study examined key obstacles to the implementation of virtual teams, such as technological limitations, connectivity issues and cross-cultural disparities. It also examined digital literacy among local authority personnel and recommended educational changes based on an analysis of existing "Public Administration" Bachelor's and Master's degree curricula.