The urgency of the topic is conditioned by the complex of transformations in the public administration system in Ukraine and the widening gap between society’s expectations and real transformations. It is evidenced by the crisis of public confidence in government institutions and growing skepticism about the possibility of successful reform.
The dissertation research provides a theoretical generalization and a new solution to the current scientific problem, which is to develop theoretical and methodological foundations for the transformation of the style of activity of public authorities and identify priorities for development of modern styles.
In the dissertation the conceptual and categorical apparatus of public administration science is improved, for the purpose of placement the style of activity of public authorities in the general system of management. Theoretical approaches to the formation of the style of activity of public authorities at the different levels of
its using (depending on external and internal influences and for effective functioning in a changing environment) are analyzed. A multivariate concept of the public administration model in Ukraine is proposed, which is a composition of separate elements of classical administration, new public administration and elements of the newest models based on a synergetic approach in management.
The foreign experience of reforming the system of public administration is considered taking into account the new methodology of style of activity of public authorities, which is based on the principles of social utility. Theoretical and methodological bases of transformation the style in the activity of public authorities on the use of the theory of change management and the theory of network society are determined. This can be the foundation for the formation of new styles, both general and individual, as well as situational styles that allow you to adapt the activities of public authorities to the requirements of a particular situation through the prism of change management.
Scientific approaches to understanding the style of activity of public authorities on the basis of the proposed factors that determine its essence and content are substantiated. As a result, a conceptual dynamic model of transformation of leadership style and style of public authorities activities has been developed, based on the body’s competence, competences and powers of officials, which will reflect key vectors of style transformation, outline desirable directions of transformational changes and ways of their implementation. New types of activity styles of public authorities have been formulated, which are based on innovative approaches to the analysis of changes in internal and external influences in the process of functioning of the public administration system. On this basis, a classification of styles of public authorities has been developed, which will systematize theoretical approaches and will operate with more specific concepts for a clear vision of the process of reforming the public administration system in Ukraine.
It is substantiated that within the network society a new form of relations between society and the state is formed. It is consistently believed that the network society is a style of society in the information age of human development. New information and network technologies are shaping a new lifestyle. It is argued that in a global information society, the system of public administration needs to solve the problem of developing a fundamentally new space, change the style of public authorities from a closed and limited to the world with global, social, economic, informational, communication and cultural communications, namely – the virtual style of activity of public authorities.
It is substantiated that the inconsistency of the formats of real, virtual and official state power in the understanding of the citizens of Ukraine. It is established that there are two formats of power in the network: the state and civil society, which in the virtual space of the Internet have either a real or a contrived (fake) image – a simulacrum. The modern world is on the verge of moving its objects into a networked society. How successful this process will be depends on network communication.
Key words: style of activity of public authorities, leadership style, general and individual style, transformation, models of public administration, virtual style of activity, fake style of activity.
