Unveiling competencies in smart working: a systematic and problematizing review

Purpose This study reviews and problematizes the literature on the competencies enabling smart working in public administrations, by integrating change management and dynamic capabilities as complementary theoretical lenses. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review of 52 peer-reviewed studies was conducted. Papers were retrieved from Scopus and complemented through backward and forward citation searching. All contributions were coded into a 2 × 3 analytical matrix that intersects the two levels of change management (individual and organizational) with the three dimensions of dynamic capabilities (sensing, seizing, reconfiguring/transforming). A subsequent problematizing review was then developed to interrogate assumptions, conceptual boundaries, and contextual blind spots in the reviewed research. Findings The literature shows a marked organizational bias (63 out of 97 coded occurrences), while individual transforming remains underrepresented. The problematizing analysis highlights some interrelated theoretical openings based on: (1) heterogeneous definitions of both “competence” and “smart working”; (2) non-linear and always positive links between individual skills and organizational outcomes; (3) limited attention to external contingencies that shape the adoption of smart working in the public sector. Originality/value By combining systematic mapping with a problematizing lens and by operationalizing the integration of change management and dynamic capabilities through a six-cell matrix, the study provides a structured yet critical roadmap for future research. For practice, it suggests that technological investments must be coupled with interventions on autonomy, digital resilience, results-oriented culture, and adaptive leadership, tailored to the institutional specificities of each public administration.