No one left behind in digital era (Final part)

Final part: Party cells as the core of digital transformation leadership

Digital transformation becomes a source of strength for an agency or business only when individual efforts are organized around shared goals, with clear accountability, monitoring mechanisms and the potential to replicate successful initiatives.

A specialist at the Trang Bom Ward Public Administration Service Center assists residents in installing the Digital Literacy for All online learning app in early October 2026. Photo: Hai Quan

At the grassroots level, Party cells are where policies can be translated into action.

Digital transformation delivers tangible results

Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW, dated December 22, 2024, issued by the Politburo on breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation and national digital transformation (hereinafter referred to as Resolution No. 57), does not merely set out a technology development program. It calls for innovation in leadership methods, governance and the development of productive forces in the new context. For Party organizations, digital transformation is therefore both an area of leadership and a means of renewing their own leadership methods.

A Party cell does not need to develop technology itself to lead digital transformation effectively. Its role is to identify the right problems, build a shared understanding, set priorities, assign Party members responsibilities, mobilize business organizations, monitor results and ensure that workers are not left behind in the process of change. In other words, a Party cell must turn digital transformation from “the IT department’s job” into a political and managerial task for the entire organization.

In Dong Nai, science and technology, innovation and digital transformation are among the three breakthrough programs for the 2025–2030 term. The city’s 100-day action plan to address digital transformation bottlenecks focuses on 10 groups of tasks and aims to bring about clear improvements in leadership, direction, governance and administration. Notably, the city is not merely requiring tasks to be completed; it emphasizes tangible outputs, actual users and measurable effectiveness.

Dong Nai’s 2026 Digital Literacy for All plan further reflects a people-centered approach, promoting the leading role of the two-tier political system and expanding digital skills among residents and the business community, in line with the principle of leaving no one behind.

In practice, workers are willing to learn when they have someone to guide them. Party members can take the lead when encouraged and assigned responsibilities. Businesses can invest in technology when they see tangible benefits. However, bringing these three elements together in a continuous process requires effective organization.

Party cells should first incorporate digital transformation into their resolutions and work programs in specific, practical terms. They could identify two or three bottlenecks to address during each quarter or year, assigning each bottleneck to a Party member or group of Party members with clear deadlines, resources and expected outputs.

Leading by example, monitoring and scaling up effective practices

Experience shows that long-serving workers can adapt when properly guided, administrative staff are willing to learn about artificial intelligence (AI) when they see how it helps solve real problems, and individual Party members can become digital skills mentors for their colleagues. These examples point to a clear leadership responsibility: identify key individuals, organize learning activities and establish mechanisms for spreading effective practices.

Party cells should therefore work with business leaders and trade unions to develop a digital skills map of workers. They need to determine which groups require basic training, which need advanced training, who could serve as digital champions and which jobs may be affected by automation. With a clear picture of these needs, Party organizations has a basis for leading in accordance with the principle of “leaving no one behind.” The leadership role of Party organizations is also demonstrated through leading by example. If Party cell secretaries, committee members and Party members do not learn to use technology, it will be difficult to ask workers to change. Conversely, when key officials directly use digital platforms, require data-based reports, allow controlled experimentation and openly acknowledge lessons learned from mistakes, they help foster a culture of innovation throughout the organization.

However, leading by example must go hand in hand with monitoring. Digital transformation carries a particular risk: organizations can easily give the impression of digital achievement by counting software systems, user accounts or training sessions. Party cells must instead examine actual usage and effectiveness. Software with no active users, training that produces no skills or an AI initiative that fails to solve a real problem cannot be considered outcomes.

Dong Nai is emphasizing precisely this approach in its 100-day action plan to address digital transformation bottlenecks across the political system. Priority is given to completed products that operate reliably, contain usable data, have actual users and deliver measurable benefits. The same principle should guide Party organizations in businesses: spend less time reporting what has been “implemented” and more time demonstrating what has actually changed.

Making Party cells the driving force of digital transformation

First, renew leadership priorities. Each Party cell should develop an annual digital task list, selecting a small number of bottlenecks within its organization. Every task must have an assigned person, a defined output, a deadline and measurable performance indicators. Digital transformation should be incorporated into Party cell resolutions and linked to production and business objectives, rather than being treated as a separate campaign.

Second, renew leadership methods. Party cells should use data and digital platforms in their own operations, organize thematic meetings around real-world problems, and give Party members opportunities to present their work, share failures and exchange lessons. Party committees should create an environment in which members feel empowered to experiment within safe boundaries, rather than merely offering general encouragement.

Third, build a core team of digitally capable Party members. One practical approach is to ask each Party member to take on “one digital problem, learn one new skill and one person supported per Party member.” Party members should not only learn for their own benefit but also make a positive impact on their colleagues. These contributions should be considered when evaluating their exemplary and pioneering role.

Tran Thu Huong, Head of the Hotel Studies program at Dong Nai Technology University in Trang Dai Ward, said: “Technology, processes and people must change in tandem. This is also an issue that Party organizations need to pay particular attention to. If technology is promoted without preparing workers for the transition, digital transformation may create anxiety, widen skills gaps and even lead to passive resistance.”

Fourth, establish a coordination mechanism among Party cells, business leaders and Trade Unions. Party cells should provide strategic direction and oversight; businesses should ensure the necessary resources, technology and training; and Trade Unions should understand workers’ concerns, protect their rights and identify groups at risk of being left behind. These three stakeholders should use a common set of indicators covering productivity, processing time, error rates, usage levels, workers’ skills and employment impacts.

Ultimately, digital transformation remains a people-centered process. Technology can help speed up work, AI can take over repetitive tasks, and data can support more accurate decisions. But turning these capabilities into a collective strength requires an organization that can unite people, set direction and lead change.

For grassroots Party cells, this is an opportunity to renew their leadership methods. They must neither stand outside digital transformation nor take over the work of technical specialists. Instead, they should lead by setting the right direction, assigning the right people to the right tasks, monitoring meaningful results and ensuring that change serves people.

If every Party cell in a Dong Nai-based business maintains a list of digital transformation tasks, every Party member takes a concrete initiative to take the lead, every worker has an opportunity to learn relevant skills, and every initiative is assessed by its actual results, Resolution No. 57 will move beyond paper and into practice. It will be reflected on production lines, at reception desks, in accounting offices, during Party cell meetings and in the enhanced capabilities of individual workers.

“No one left behind in the digital era” would then be more than just a campaign slogan. It will serve as a measure of the leadership capacity of grassroots Party organizations: leading to ensure that technology drives development, Party members fulfill their pioneering role, and every worker has the opportunity to advance in the new era.

Based on the experiences discussed throughout this series, a six-step model of “Party cells leading grassroots digital transformation” can be proposed: identify bottlenecks; establish leadership tasks; assign Party members to take responsibility; coordinate with businesses and trade unions; measure outputs; and review results before scaling up successful initiatives. The model’s key purpose is not to create another administrative procedure, but to clarify political accountability for addressing specific production or business challenges.

Each Party cell needs to select only a few genuinely important problems. Once they are resolved, the results should be presented at Party cell meetings as evidence of leadership effectiveness. Lessons learned can then be standardized and applied in other teams, departments, workshops or units.

If implemented consistently, this approach could provide a practical way to translate Resolution No. 57 into action in businesses. Party organizations would not stand outside technological innovation, nor would they take over specialized work. Instead, they would provide direction, mobilize resources, monitor progress and ensure that digital transformation serves the development of both people and businesses.

By Tran Dang Ninh - Translated by Mai Nga, Thu Ha