A Critical Review of Digital Leadership Research
Keywords:
The Era of Digital Intelligence, Digital Leadership, Digital-era Leader ResonantAbstract
As an emerging field of research, the concept of digital leadership remains relatively ambiguous. A review of the relevant literature reveals that both domestic and international scholars primarily draw on theories from management and social psychology—particularly leadership theory, organizational change theory, and complex adaptive systems theory—as the theoretical foundation for exploring digital leadership. Current research has mainly focused on defining the conceptual connotation of digital leadership and constructing theoretical models, while systematic investigations into its structural dimensions and the development of reliable measurement instruments remain limited.
Against the backdrop of the digital economy, enterprise performance evaluation is becoming increasingly multidimensional. With the deepening of digital transformation, organizations are placing greater reliance on high-performing employees to maintain a competitive advantage. Given that different leadership styles exert varying effects on employee innovation and performance, digital leadership—characterized by vision articulation, technological proficiency, and transformation facilitation—has emerged as a pivotal leadership style for navigating change and enhancing performance in the digital era.
Therefore, it is of both theoretical and practical significance to examine the mechanisms through which digital leadership influences employee work performance. This paper provides a comprehensive review of existing research on digital leadership and outlines potential directions for future inquiry.
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