Digital Literacy and ICT-Based Supervision: Antecedents of Work Discipline in Coastal Public Sector Organizations

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the effect of ICT-based supervision on employee work discipline and analyze the moderating role of digital literacy in public sector organizations in coastal areas. A quantitative approach was employed using survey data collected from 217 public-sector employees. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4 and purposive sampling from five coastal regencies. The results showed that ICT-based supervision positively and significantly affected work discipline. Digital literacy also had a strong and significant influence, emerging as the most dominant factor. However, the moderating effect of digital literacy was not significant. The findings indicate that human capability mediates technology effectiveness, and digital literacy plays a more critical role than technological systems in shaping employee discipline. This study was limited by its cross-sectional design and focus on a specific regional context, which may have affected its generalizability. This study contributes to the digital governance literature by highlighting the dominant role of digital literacy and providing empirical evidence from coastal regions.

Keywords

Digital Literacy ICT-Based Supervision North Kalimantan Public Administration Socio-Technical Theory