Abstract
This study focused on the effect of e-governance and social innovation on improving operational efficiency in the City of Johannesburg (CoJ). This study's central research question was: How do e-governance and social innovation enhance operational efficiency for delivering adequate services to the citizens?” The introduction of e-governance entails streamlining operational processes, transcribing information held by government agencies into electronic form, linking disparate databases, and improving ease of access to services for members of the public. The benefits of e-governance include enhanced quality of citizen services, internal efficiencies, law enforcement, education and information, promotion, and involvement of citizens in the government process. Social innovation (SI) is comprehensive and knows no boundaries. From local citizens to political leadership classes, it brings new ways of using mobile phone texting and new lifestyles to new products and services. SI is being used increasingly to emphasize the significance of creating new goods and services for the most underprivileged members of society and forming new partnerships with partners in various industries.
The study conceptualised and contextualised e-governance, social innovation, and operational efficiency. The study's findings generally indicated that the rise of digital technology has increased individuals' awareness of their rights, improved their access to information about public services, and raised their expectations for the quality of services they get. This study recommends that the government and academics studying public management and governance recognize that social innovation and e-governance are emerging factors influencing operational efficiency. Operational efficiency is promoted by government effectiveness and efficiency, which are produced via e-government and social innovation. It is essential for the government and academics studying public management and governance to recognize that social innovation and e-governance encourage high performance for operational efficiency. Governments and scholars studying public management and governance should note that social innovation and e-government boost e-participation. The study employed a qualitative research methodology based on desktop research with secondary sources. Data analysis employing document analysis led to the study's conclusions.