Innovating leadership methods through digital transformation in Nghe An

When Party committees operate in the digital environment

In mid-April, to promptly utilize the funds contributed by the people, the Party Committee of Lien Truong hamlet, Tam Dong commune, posted the plan to purchase a water filter and build a domestic water supply system at the community center on the Party branch's Zalo group to gather opinions from Party members, instead of waiting for the regular meeting. As a result, the plan was quickly agreed upon, the project was implemented and completed early, meeting the community's needs.

Beyond simply handling routine tasks, the digital environment has become a tool that helps Party branches respond quickly to emerging issues in daily life. Facing the risk of drowning and fires during the hot season, warning information is promptly transmitted from the Party branch's Zalo group, the village command committee, and the Fatherland Front Committee to the 13 self-governing groups and individual households. Issues related to environmental sanitation, security and order, or community conflicts are also addressed and resolved more quickly.

In particular, during the process of reorganizing and merging hamlets, the Lien Truong Party Branch proactively posted relevant directives and projects on the party branch group and the community so that cadres, party members, and the people could study them before the meeting to gather opinions.

Comrade Trang Ngoc Tan - Secretary of the Lien Truong hamlet Party branch, said: Thanks to early, open, and transparent access to information, most Party members and people clearly understand the goals and significance of the reorganization, thereby creating high consensus on important issues such as the new hamlet name, the location of the cultural center, and the plan for organizing community activities after the merger…

From the story of a residential area Party branch, it can be seen that digital transformation is contributing to changing the leadership methods at the grassroots level towards a faster, more transparent, and closer-to-the-people approach. If the Lien Truong Party branch is a microcosm of innovation in the residential area, then Tam Dong commune is a clear example of the Party's transformation of leadership methods in the digital age.

Given the larger geographical area, denser population, and increased workload following the implementation of the two-tiered local government system, the Tam Dong Commune Party Committee has determined that digital transformation is not just about applying technology, but about innovating leadership thinking and organizing task implementation. From the Standing Committee, the Executive Committee, the Party Committee, the commune's specialized departments, to the branch secretaries, village heads, and community digital technology teams, all are connected in a digital environment. The system of online operational groups helps to transmit policies and directives almost instantly to the grassroots level.

A highlight of Tam Dong is the organization of conferences, meetings, and training sessions in a hybrid format, combining in-person and online methods; simultaneously, sharing documents on resolutions and directives from the Central Government, the province, and the commune with Party branches and residential areas.

According to Comrade Nguyen Van Thang, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Council of Tam Dong commune: This is an important innovation in the leadership method at the grassroots level. Instead of communicating through many intermediate levels, cadres, Party members, and the people can directly access policies and resolutions, contributing to creating unity of understanding and social consensus right from the grassroots.

More importantly, the digital environment is helping Party committees shift from a "task-based management" mindset to a "proactive governance" mindset. Citizen feedback on traffic, the environment, public security, and other emerging issues is regularly updated, helping the government detect and address problems promptly.

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The digital environment is helping Party committees shift from a "task-based management" mindset to a "proactive governance" mindset at the grassroots level.

Comrade Nguyen Van Thang - Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Council of Tam Dong Commune

Alongside this, Tam Dong is gradually building a data platform to serve leadership and management. Currently, 100% of documents from the Party Committee and the People's Committee of the commune are processed electronically; the digital signature system has been implemented synchronously; and population data, administrative data, and administrative procedure records are being digitized step by step. In particular, the locality has effectively implemented four Party administrative procedures in the digital environment: collecting Party membership fees, transferring Party membership, confirming Party membership at the place of residence, and managing electronic Party member records.

"Data digitization has significantly reduced administrative time and paperwork, minimized errors, and enabled officials to focus more on leadership and guidance in socio-economic development," shared Party Secretary Nguyen Van Thang.

Innovating leadership with data.

Not only in Tam Dong commune, but digital transformation is becoming a tool to expand the leadership and governance capacity of Party committees and governments at all levels in Nghe An. Electronic document management systems, work management software, electronic Party member handbooks, online public services, population databases, and digital interaction platforms are gradually forming a modern governance ecosystem within the political system.

In Quynh Mai ward, shared databases are becoming an important platform helping Party committees and authorities to develop resolutions, issue policies, and evaluate the results of task implementation based on practical data, limiting the situation of formal reporting or inconsistent data.

According to Comrade Hoang Quyen, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Council of Quynh Mai Ward: The locality is strengthening the use of digital platforms in assigning tasks, monitoring the progress of work resolution, especially in handling administrative procedures, petitions, and suggestions from voters and the people. At the same time, digital technology is being applied in the inspection, supervision, and evaluation of officials. Instead of mainly relying on qualitative feedback, the ward is gradually building a system to monitor work results in a digital environment, aiming to evaluate officials based on output and the effectiveness of their tasks. Digital platforms also support the detection of delayed work, alert to anomalies, and enhance online supervision, contributing to improved administrative discipline and order.

The effectiveness of this approach is clearly demonstrated through the results of building a digital government. From July 1, 2025 to the present, Quynh Mai ward has received nearly 19,000 administrative procedure applications; 100% of applications are processed online; the rate of early resolution reaches nearly 99.6%; and the rate of digitized documents and online payments reaches 100%. All directive and operational documents of the Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee, and Fatherland Front of the ward are digitally signed and circulated online.

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Instead of relying primarily on qualitative feedback, the ward is gradually building a digital system for tracking work results, aiming to evaluate officials based on their output and task performance.

Comrade Hoang Quyen - Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Council of Quynh Mai Ward

For the Nghe An Provincial People's Council, digital transformation is not limited to successfully organizing "Digital Sessions" but has also been extended to many other activities such as organizing sessions and explanatory meetings in a hybrid format, combining in-person and online participation from multiple locations; sharing links to explanatory sessions on digital platforms for delegates, voters, and localities to conveniently monitor and supervise.

Comrade Bui Duy Son - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Chief of the Office of the National Assembly Delegation and Provincial People's Council - stated that these solutions have created a clear change in the working methods of elected bodies. In the context of many mountainous localities located hundreds of kilometers from the provincial center, the application of digital technology significantly saves time and travel costs, while simultaneously improving the effectiveness of supervision and the quality of the People's Council's activities.

It is evident that with real-time data updates, when leadership and management are conducted in a digital environment, and when performance evaluations are based on specific outputs, the leadership style of Party committees and government authorities is shifting from experience-based to data-driven governance.

However, digital transformation still faces many challenges. Besides the lack of synchronized technical infrastructure and the fact that some software does not fully meet practical requirements, the human factor remains the decisive element, first and foremost the role of the leader.

In reality, a leader may participate in multiple management teams in the digital environment, but if they do not proactively utilize it, lack innovative thinking, and do not consider data as a leadership tool, the effectiveness will be very limited. Conversely, in places where leaders proactively apply technology, frequently interact in the digital environment, and use data to evaluate staff and solve problems, management effectiveness is significantly improved.

Furthermore, the digital transformation capacity of officials and civil servants in the political system and at the village level, as well as the general public, is uneven. This is an issue that needs to be addressed promptly to ensure that digital transformation truly has a positive impact on the effectiveness of leadership, guidance, and management by Party committees and governments in the digital age.