and private sectors in Syria, within the senior management category (department managers, executive directors, and general managers), to understand and comprehend digital technologies, software, applications, and governance.

This is a crucial point in the context of digital administrative development in Syria.

For decades, the country has faced a major problem: the lack of training of senior administrative leaders in modern technologies, digital governance, and the importance of training.

Government and private institutions in Syria continue to face a fundamental challenge: a number of managers and officials, often senior management positions, are held for societal or political considerations, which neglect competence and specialization in selection and appointment.

Some of these personnel lack the qualifications and knowledge to understand and manage modern technologies, digital applications, and digital governance principles.

This lack of qualifications not only constitutes an obstacle to institutional development and digital transformation, but also directly impacts the quality of services and operational efficiency within institutions and departments, both governmental and private. The result is losses, weak management, overall performance, and productivity.

The Problem Dimensions

• Weak Digital Understanding: Many administrative leaders were appointed based on their traditional administrative experience, personal relationships, or regional, societal, and political considerations. They lack technical background or knowledge of how to leverage digital tools to improve administrative performance, depending on their position and field of work.
• Lack of Management Awareness: When it is imperative to utilize modern technologies in various fields and services, and to begin training the personnel who operate them, how can the management of these entities manage personnel trained to use technologies that are unknown to management and about which they have no knowledge? If the manager is asked about them, he or she will be unable to answer.
• Resistance to Technological Change: Lack of technical knowledge leads to resistance to adopting new technologies, slowing or completely hindering the digital transformation process.
• Decision-Making Gap: When leaders are unable to understand the potential and challenges of digital technologies, decisions made become less effective and may lead to inappropriate choices or ineffective investments.
• Low Governance: Insufficient knowledge of digital governance concepts hinders the implementation of transparency, security, and compliance standards, increasing the risk of security breaches and mismanagement of digital resources.

The Training and Leadership Development Importance

Specialized and intensive training for senior management is a strategic necessity to bring about a qualitative transformation in the work environment. This requires developing a systematic plan to prepare these managers to understand modern technologies and digital governance. This enables them to understand digital tools and their impact on corporate operations, enabling them to lead their teams efficiently and effectively.

In addition to the above:

• Making strategic decisions based on accurate data and analysis, rather than relying solely on intuition or traditional experience.
• Promoting a culture of change and innovation within organizations by adopting modern digital work methodologies such as flexible working and agile management.
• Ensuring information security and data protection through the proper application of digital governance principles, which enhances user and citizen confidence in digital services.
• Enabling organizations to keep pace with regional and international developments, which enhances their competitiveness and attracts new investments.

Based on the above, and in the absence of digital training for senior management, the country will continue to face a real obstacle to institutional modernization and digital development in Syria.

Therefore, investing in targeted and intensive training programs for this group is not a luxury, but rather a strategic necessity to maintain the sustainability of institutional development.

This investment is key to bridging the gap between the current administrative reality and the requirements of the digital age, as well as the challenges of rebuilding Syria. This will ensure a more flexible and innovative institutional and administrative performance.