Intelligent Organization in a Local Administrative Unit: From Theoretical Design to Reality

Purpose: The theoretical purpose of this paper is determining the essence of an intelligent organization (IO) in a local administrative unit (LAU) including identification of benefits and risks for local development connected with the development of IO in LAU. The practical purpose is presenting a concept of methods to identify the development level of IO in LAU. Design/Methodology/Approach: The work method is literature studies. In addition, two methods of evaluating the level of development of IO in LAU are proposed. The article makes use of statistical methods based on the vector of standardized sums. Findings: It is found that literature lacks a generally accepted definition of IO in LAU and many features characteristic of the development of IO in LAU are identified. The development of IO in LAU is a source of many benefits to local development, but it is also connected with the occurrence of some risks. The study proposes a set of features describing IO including their scoring. The paper also propose an indicator of the level of development of IO in LAU2 in Poland (municipality) in 2018 based on a set of variables (IO LAU2). Research has shown a positive correlation between the level of development of IO in LAU and the level of urbanization, investment attractiveness and economic growth. Practical Implications: The results of studies can be used by LAU for designing the strategy of developing an intelligent organization. They can provide valuable practical guidance about the type of activities to be implemented to ensure that LAU can evolve into IO. Originality/Value: The work proposes a definition of IO in LAU. Two methods of evaluating the level of development of IO in LAU are put forward. The first method allows pre-selection of LAU in terms the level of development of IO based on data available in public statistics. The next stage of the study can use the criteria of summary evaluation of the level of development of IO in the LAU, proposed in this work, according to a percentage scale. The presented methodological concept is universal – it can be used to evaluate the level of development of IO in taxonomic units at different levels and in different countries.