Towards formulating a digital diplomacy maturity framework: a theoretical prospective

Diplomacy is the key driver of international relations and platform of the interaction of countries in areas such as art, negotiation, promotion, representation, social engagement and mutual benefits. Traditionally, nations use conservative communication approaches due to issues of bureaucracy, secrecy, sovereignty, and various other obstacles. This research presents a novel conceptual framework for evaluating the maturity of e-diplomacy in foreign missions. The e-diplomacy maturity framework is derived from the literature review of e-government maturity models as well as theories and practice of diplomacy. It involves two variables, level of complexity and level of interaction. The interaction of these two variables produces different stages of e-diplomacy maturity framework. Stages include intra-organization capabilities, mobile access, citizens' interaction and open diplomacy. However, the maturity framework faces challenges of organization structure, secrecy and sensitivity of diplomatic functions, communication nature of diplomats, socio-cultural norms, and political-economic aspects.