Digital Leadership in Transformation: A Qualitative Study of Leadership Roles, Processes and Competencies in the Textile Industry

Abstract

Dijital dönüşüm, özellikle tekstil gibi geleneksel olarak emek yoğun sektörlerde liderlik rollerini, örgütsel süreçleri ve yönetsel yetkinlikleri köklü biçimde yeniden şekillendirmektedir. Mevcut araştırmalar büyük ölçüde teknolojinin benimsenmesi ve performans çıktıları üzerinde yoğunlaşırken, liderlerin dijital liderliği sektöre özgü bağlamlarda nasıl yorumladıkları, uyguladıkları ve deneyimledikleri konusu sınırlı düzeyde ele alınmıştır. Bu boşluğu gidermeyi amaçlayan bu çalışma, tekstil sektöründe görev yapan dijital liderlerin dijital dönüşümü nasıl algıladıklarını ve bu dönüşümün liderlik rolleri, süreçleri ve gerekli yetkinlikler üzerindeki etkilerini incelemektedir. Nitel araştırma deseni kullanılarak, tekstil sektöründe farklı hiyerarşik düzeylerde görev yapan yöneticilerle yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler gerçekleştirilmiştir. Elde edilen veriler tematik içerik analizi yöntemiyle incelenmiş ve dijital liderliğin öncüllerini, liderlik yönelimlerini ve örgütsel çıktıları kapsayan bütüncül bir çerçeve ortaya konulmuştur. Bulgular, dijital dönüşümün liderlik rollerini veri odaklı, uyum sağlayabilen ve katılımcı biçimlere doğru yeniden tanımladığını; aynı zamanda karar alma süreçlerini hızlandırarak, uzaktan ve esnek çalışma uygulamalarını mümkün kılarak ve lider–çalışan etkileşimini yoğunlaştırarak liderlik süreçlerini yeniden yapılandırdığını göstermektedir. Ayrıca dijital liderlik yetkinliklerinin yalnızca teknolojik yeterlilikle sınırlı olmadığı; dijital okuryazarlık, değişime açıklık, stratejik vizyon ve kuşaklar arası çeşitliliği ve dönüşüme yönelik direnci yönetebilme becerilerini de kapsadığı belirlenmiştir. Bu çalışma, Tekstil 4.0 bağlamında liderlik dönüşümüne ilişkin sektöre özgü ve çok boyutlu bir bakış sunarak dijital liderlik literatürüne katkıda bulunmaktadır. Yönetimsel açıdan ise bulgular, dijital teknolojilerden yararlanarak örgütsel çeviklik, rekabet gücü ve sürdürülebilirliği artırmada insan odaklı dijital liderliğin kritik rolünü vurgulamaktadır.

Keywords

• Dijital Liderlik
• Dijital Dönüşüm
• Tekstil Endüstrisi
• Nitel Araştırma.

Digital Leadership in Transformation: A Qualitative Study of Leadership Roles, Processes and Competencies in the Textile Industry

Abstract

Digital transformation is profoundly reshaping leadership roles, organizational processes, and managerial competencies, particularly in traditionally labor-intensive industries such as textiles. While existing research largely emphasizes technological adoption and performance outcomes, limited attention has been paid to how leaders interpret, enact, and experience digital leadership within sector-specific contexts. Addressing this gap, the present study explores how digital leaders in the textile industry perceive digital transformation and how it influences leadership roles, processes and required competencies. Using a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with managers operating at different hierarchical levels within the textile sector. The data were analyzed through thematic content analysis, resulting in an integrated framework capturing the antecedents, leadership orientations and organizational outcomes of digital leadership. The findings reveal that digital transformation not only redefines leadership roles toward data-driven, adaptive and participative forms but also restructures leadership processes by accelerating decision-making, enabling remote and flexible work practices and intensifying leader–employee interaction. Furthermore, digital leadership competencies extend beyond technological proficiency to include digital literacy, openness to change, strategic vision and the ability to manage generational diversity and resistance to transformation. The study contributes to the digital leadership literature by offering a sector-specific, multidimensional understanding of leadership transformation in the context of Textile 4.0. From a managerial perspective, the findings highlight the critical role of human-centered digital leadership in leveraging digital technologies to enhance organizational agility, competitiveness and sustainability.

Keywords

• Digital Leadership
• Textile Industry
• Qualitative Research.
• Digital Transformation

Ethical Statement

Araştırmaya yönelik etik kurul belgesi yüklenmiştir.

References

1. Abbatiello, A., Knight, M., Philpot, S. & Roy, I. (2017). Rewriting the rules for the digital age: 2017 deloitte global human capital trends, United Kingdom: Deloitte University Press.
2. Acar, A.K. (2022). Geçmişten günümüze yönetsel metinlerde liderlik: Orhun Yazıtları, Siyasetname ve Nutuk'un eğitsel liderlik bağlamında değerlendirilmesi, Master’ s Thesis, Institute of Educational Sciences, Bursa Uludağ University, Bursa, Türkiye.
3. Akhtar, W. H., Watanabe, C., Tou, Y. & Neittaanmäki, P. (2022). A new perspective on the textile and apparel ındustry in the digital transformation era, Textiles, 2(4), 633-656.
4. Asri, A. A. S. M. A. N. & Darma, G. S. (2020). Revealing the digital leadership spurs in 4.0 Industrial Revolution, International Journal of Business, Economics & Management, 3(1), 93- 100.
5. Bach, C. & Sulíková, R. (2021). Leadership in the context of a new world: Digital leadership and İndustry 4.0., Managing Global Transitions, 19 (3): 209–226.
6. Bertola, P. &Teunissen, J. (2018). Fashion 4.0. ınnovating fashion industry through digital transformation, Research Journal of Textile and Apparel. 22 (4), 352-369.
7. Bıçakçı, S. (2019). Tekstil sektöründe dijital dönüşüm ve yeni nesil ürünler, https://www.sanayinindijitaldonusumu.com/tekstil-sektorunde-dijital-donusum-ve-yeni-nesil- urunler/ (Access Date: 24.01.2023)
8. Bryman, A. (1992). Charisma and leadership in organizations, London: Sage Publications,

9. Budianto, S., Salim, U., Moko, W. & Khusniyah, N. (2023). Developing model of digital leadership for the new normal, W. R. Murhadi et al. (Eds.): Proceedings of the 19th International Symposium on Management, 321–330. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94- 6463-008-4_42.
10. Cennamo, K., & Gardner, H. (2008). Bridging the gap: How Technology support pedagogical ınnovation, Educational Psychology, 66 (3), 401-424.
11. Chatterjee, S., Chaudhuri, R., Vrontis, D. & Giovando, G. (2023). Digital workplace and organization performance: Moderating role of digital leadership capability, Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 8, 1-10.
12. Chen, Y.Y.K., Jaw, Y.L. & Wu, B.-L. (2016), Effect of digital transformation on organisational performance of SMEs: Evidence from the Taiwanese textile industry’s Web Portal, Internet Research, 26 (1), 186-212.
13. Desmet, D., Duncan, E., Scanlan, J., & Singer, M. (2015). Six building blocks for creating a high-performing digital enterprise. McKinsey & Company.
14. Dworschak, B. & Karapidis, A. (2023). Digitalisation and its impact on leadership competences in production work, 4th Conference on Production Systems and Logistics, 28.02.2023-2.03.2023, Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico, DOI: https://doi.org/10.15488/13507 ISSN: 2701-6277.
15. Ercan Önbıçak, A. & Akkoyun, B. (2022). Dijital liderlik çalışmalarının yönetim bilimleri kapsamında incelenmesi: Nitel bir araştırma, Malatya Turgut Özal Üniversitesi İşletme ve Yönetim Bilimleri Dergisi, 3 (2), 128-137.
16. Fathony, H. A. & Hendarman, A. F. (2023). The relationship between digital leadership and digital culture towards human capital readiness in the Industry 4.0 era: A case study of talent in financial state-owned enterprise, American International Journal of Business Management (AIJBM), 6 (7), 123-135.
17. Forbes (2020). Digital transformation challenges what is your strategy, https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/01/10/digital-transformation- challenges-what-is-your-strategy/?sh=283ce9dc6b10 (Access Date: 05.05.2024).
18. Gülbahar, Y. & Mete, S. (2019). Dijital Okuryazarlık: Kavramsal değerlendirme ve ölçme araçları, Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 34 (1), 179-204.
19. Harbani, M. N. & Judiarni, J. A. (2021). Digital Leadership in facing challenges in the era Industrial Revolution 4.0, Webology: Special Issue on Current Trends in Management and Information Technology, 18, 975-990.
20. Hemphill, J. K., & Coons, A. E. (1957). Development of the leader behavior description questionnaire. In R. M. Stogdill & A. E. Coons (Eds.), Leader Behavior: Its Description and Measurement (pp. 120-133). Columbus, OH: The Ohio State University.
21. Hermann, M., Pentek, T., & Otto, B. (2016). Design principles for Industrie 4.0 scenarios. In T. X. Bui & R. H. Sprague Jr. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 49th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS),3928–3937). https://doi.org/10.1109/HICSS.2016.488
22. Howe, N. & Strauss, W. (2000). Millennials rising: The next great generation, New York, NY: Vintage Books.
23. IBM, (2024). Major, technologies made possible by predictive analytics https://www.ibm.com/tr-tr/topics/major-technologies-made-possible-by-predictive- analytics“Our Services” (Access Date: 15.02.2024).
24. Karademir, İ. & Özgeldi, M. (2022). Endüstri 4.0’ın firma performansına etkisinde dijital liderliğin rolü, İşletme Araştırmaları Dergisi, 14 (4), 2848-2866.
25. Kizza, J. M. (2019). Computer network security and cyber ethics, McFarland.
26. Küsters, D., Praß, N. & Gloy, Y. S. (2017). Textile learning factory 4.0–preparing Germany's textile industry for the digital future, Procedia Manufacturing, 9, 214-221.
27. Lee, Y. & Chang, Y. (2006). A Study on the characters of leader and followers of charismatic leadership the example of employees at a port authority, The Business Review, Cambridge, 5(1), 295–300.
28. Liu, Y. (2022). The impact of digital leadership on enterprise sustainable development under the background of Industry 4.0, G. Ali et al. (Eds.): Proceedings of the 2022 6th International Seminar on Education, Management and Social Sciences, 1445-1454, DOI:https://doi.org/ 10.2991/978-2-494069-31-2_171
29. Makovskaya, N., Korabava, A. & Aliakseyeva, A. (2022). Skills development for digital transformation in textile, In AIP Conference Proceedings, 2430 (1), AIP Publishing LLC.
30. Mert, G. (2021). Dijital dünyada yeni bir boyut: Dijital liderlik, Satınalma Dergisi, 9 (97), 50-51.
31. Nafz, R., Schinle, C., Kaiser, C. & Kyosev, Y. K. (2022). Digital transformation of the textile process chain state of the art, Communications in Development and Assembling of Textile Products, 3 (2), 79-89.
32. Oberer, B. & Erkollar, A. (2018). Leadership 4.0: Digital leaders in the age of Industry 4.0. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 7 (4), 404- 412.
33. Özmen, Ö. N., Engin, E. R. İ. Ş. & Pınar, Ö. (2020). Dijital liderlik çalışmalarına bir bakış, Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, 25 (1), 57-69.
34. Patton, M.Q. (2002). Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. Sage Publications. Porfirio, J., Carrilho, T. & Jardim, J. (2020). Leadership characteristics and digital transformation, Journal of Business Research, 124 (C), 610-619.
35. Pratama, M. A. N. & Kurniady D. A. (2021). Influence of digital leadership models on the performance of educators and educational personnel in the COVID-19 Pandemic in the first middle school, Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Research of Educational Administration and Management, 278-280. DOI:https://doi.org/ 10.2991/assehr.k.210212.061
36. Promsri, C. (2019). The developing model of digital leadership for a successful digital transformation, GPH-International Journal of Business Management (IJBM), 2 (8), 01-08.
37. Rauch, J. C. F., & Behling, O. (1984). Functionalism: Basis for an alternate approach to the study of leadership. In J. G. Hunt, D. M. Hosking, C. A. Schriesheim, & R. Stewart (Eds.), Leaders and managers: International perspectives on managerial behavior and leadership (45–62), Pergamon Press.
38. Rüßmann, M., Lorenz, M., Gerbert, P., Waldner, M., Engel, P., Harnisch, M. & Justus, J., (2015). Industry 4.0: the future of the productivity and growth in manufacturing ındustries, Boston Consulting Group, Inc.
39. Sajjadi, A., Karimkhani, M. & Mehrpour, M. (2014). New emerging leadership theories and styles, Technical Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 4 (3), 180-188.
40. Shen, L., Zhang, X. & Liu, H. (2022). Digital technology adoption, digital dynamic capability, and digital transformation performance of textile industry: moderating role of digital innovation orientation, Managerial and Decision Economics, 43 (6), 2038-2054.
41. Sheninger, E. (2014). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times. Thousand Oaks: CA: Corwin Press.
42. Sözüer, D. & Buluş, H. E. (2023). Dijitalleşme sürecinin tekstil ve moda tasarımı eğitimindeki avantaj ve dezavantajları üzerine bir inceleme, Journal of Communication Science Researches, 3 (1), 74-84.
43. Teilen, B. (2023). Digital Leadership: Competencies, Leadership Styles and Challenges of the Leader 4.0, https://consultingheads.com/en/blog/on-the-job-en/digital-leadership- competencies-leadership-styles-and-challenges-of-the-leader-4-0/ (Access Date: 20.01.2024).
44. Timonen, V., Foley, G. & Conlon, C. (2018). Challenges when using grounded theory: A pragmatic introduction to doing GT research, International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 17, 1–10.
45. Turan, S. (2020). Liderlik nedir? Liderlik: kuram- araştırma uygulama, (Edt: Kürşad Yılmaz). Ankara: Pegem Akademi Yayıncılık.
46. Westerman, G., Bonnet, D. & McAfee, A. (2014). The Nine elements of digital transformation, MIT Sloan Management Review, 55 (3), 1-6.
47. Wright G. & Ritter, J. (2015). Digital leadership, https://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/digital-leadership (Access Date: 22.03.2024).
48. Yılmaz, P. (2022). Dijitalleşen tekstil üretimi ve tüketimine genel bakış, tasarım açısından dijital tekstil baskıcılığı, Proficiency in Art Thesis, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Institute of Fine Arts, Department of Textile and Fashion Design, Textile and Fashion Design Program.
49. Yukl A. G. (2018). Leadership in organizations, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.