Re-engineering the Botswana civil service with human-AI augmentation: A grounded theory of organizational transformation for a Fourth Industrial Revolution-ready public sector
Tshepho Bathai
Abstract
This study investigates the organisational transformations required to re-engineer Botswana’s civil service through human–AI collaboration to develop a Fourth Industrial Revolution–ready public sector. The study adopted a qualitative research design based on document analysis informed by grounded theory principles. Secondary data were drawn from government reports, national and regional policy documents, and peer-reviewed academic literature published between 2020 and 2025. An inductive analytical process involving open, axial, and selective coding was used to identify recurring patterns and relationships, leading to the development of an integrative theoretical explanation of AI-enabled organisational transformation in Botswana’s civil service. The findings demonstrate that effective AI integration in Botswana’s civil service requires fundamental organisational restructuring. In relation to leadership and management, the study finds that adaptive leadership competencies, strategic sense-making, and participatory managerial practices are critical for aligning AI initiatives with public service objectives. With respect to the workforce, the findings reveal that workforce anxiety is a major constraint on AI adoption, but can be mitigated through targeted skills development, transparent communication, and continuous learning frameworks. Across all objectives, the study identifies leadership as the central mediating mechanism through which organisational change, workforce trust, and human–AI collaboration is achieved. Ethical governance and cross-sectoral collaboration further emerge as enabling conditions for sustainable and trusted AI deployment. The study relies exclusively on secondary data, which limits direct insight into the lived experiences of civil servants during AI implementation. Nonetheless, the study offers a robust theoretical contribution by advancing a leadership-mediated model of human–AI augmentation that can inform public sector reform, policy design, and leadership development in Botswana and comparable developing-country contexts.
Keywords
human–AI collaboration, digital transformation, public sector leadership, organisational change, artificial intelligence adoption, Botswana Civil Service
Author information & Contribution
Tshepho Bathai. PhD Candidate, Institute of Distance Education, University of Zambia. Email: bathaison@yahoo.com
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Funding
This work was not supported by any funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
Not Applicable
Data and Materials Availability
The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
AI Declaration
AI tools were not used in writing this paper.
Notes
Acknowledgement
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Cite this article:
Bathai, T. (2026). Re-engineering the Botswana civil service with human-AI augmentation: A grounded theory of organizational transformation for a Fourth Industrial Revolution-ready public sector. International Review of Social Sciences Research, 6(1), 87-106. https://doi.org/10.53378/irssr.353309
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