Abstract:
The ceylon electricity board in Nuwara Eliya is characterised by both a lack of
infrastructure and different degrees of digital literacy among CEB employees, which
are major problems to overcome in the process of digital transformation. Public
utilities now stand at a crossroads of the digital revolution – where embracing
innovation must go hand in hand with empowering people to stay active, resilient,
and future-ready. This paper covers aspects of operational efficiency, customer
service, business modelling, technology adoption and training, and organisational
culture and support. The current study was quantitative in nature, with a population
of 108 non-managerial employees from area offices, and the sample of 92 was
selected according to the table provided by Morgan. Stratified random sampling was
used to select the respondents, and 83 valid responses were obtained to be analysed
using SPSS. Scales used to measure also proved high reliability (Cronbach's alpha >
0.70). This research found a positive correlation between digital transformation and
employee engagement (r = 0.368). The highest correlation was with technology
adoption and training (r = 0.405), operational efficiency (r = 0.203), culture and
support (r = 0.257), and business modelling (r = 0.201), all significant at p < 0.05.
Multiple regression analysis revealed that the predictors of the engagement level were
the technology adoption and training (β = 0.215, p = 0.001) and the operational
efficiency (β = 0.149, p = 0.031). The findings convey a distinct message: digital tools
have limited capacity to succeed without the support of leadership and specific
upskilling, on the one hand, and an inclusive culture that fosters employee
empowerment, on the other. These findings can be a guiding stone toward the
construction of a digitally confident, engaged, and future-ready workforce by
policymakers and the leadership at the utility.
