A Meta-Analysis Study on the Relationship Between Digital Leadership and Performance

Year 2025, Volume: 39 Issue: 4, 453 - 464

Onur Oktaysoy

https://doi.org/10.16951/trendbusecon.1595950

Abstract

In today's business world, digital transformation is an inevitable process in terms of increasing the competitiveness of organizations and ensuring sustainable growth. In this transformation, it is of critical importance for leaders to have competencies appropriate to the requirements of the digital age and to align strategic decision-making processes with technology. Digital leadership emerges as a leadership approach that encourages innovation, develops employees' digital skills and aims to increase organizational performance, rather than seeing technology as just a tool. In this study, the relationship between digital leadership and performance was examined with the meta-analysis method. The aim of the research is to reveal the effect of digital leadership on organizational and individual performance and to evaluate the magnitude of these effects. In the context of this purpose, it is aimed to evaluate the data obtained from the studies in the literature with a holistic approach and to examine the effect of digital leadership on organizational structures more comprehensively. The studies included in the research and examined within the scope of meta-analysis showed that there is a moderately positive relationship between digital leadership and performance (r=0.702). This finding shows that digital leaders’ ability to support employees’ digital skills, create an innovative organizational culture, and use technology as a strategic tool in business processes increases organizational and individual success. This study shows that the capacity of leaders to effectively manage digital transformation processes plays a critical role in increasing performance.

Keywords

Digital Leadership , Performance , Employee Performance , Organizational Performance , Organizational Transformation.

Dijital Liderlik ve Performans Arasındaki İlişki Üzerine Bir Meta-Analiz Çalışması

Abstract

Günümüz iş dünyasında dijital dönüşüm, örgütlerin rekabet gücünü artırması ve sürdürülebilir büyümeyi sağlaması açısından kaçınılmaz bir süreçtir. Bu dönüşümde, liderlerin dijital çağın gereklerine uygun yetkinliklere sahip olması ve stratejik karar süreçlerini teknolojiyle uyumlu hale getirmesi kritik bir öneme sahiptir. Dijital liderlik, teknolojiyi sadece bir araç olarak görmekten öte, yenilikçiliği teşvik eden, çalışanların dijital becerilerini geliştiren ve organizasyonel performansı artırmayı hedefleyen bir liderlik yaklaşımı olarak ortaya çıkmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, dijital liderlik ile performans arasındaki ilişki, meta-analiz yöntemiyle incelenmiştir. Araştırmanın amacı, dijital liderliğin örgütsel ve bireysel performans üzerindeki etkisini ortaya koymak ve bu etkilerin büyüklüğünü değerlendirmektir. Bu amaç bağlamında, literatürde yer alan çalışmalardan elde edilen verilerin bütünsel bir yaklaşımla değerlendirilmesi ve dijital liderliğin organizasyonel yapılar üzerindeki etkisini daha kapsamlı bir şekilde incelenmesi hedeflemektedir. Yapılan araştırmaya dahil edilerek meta-analiz kapsamında incelenen çalışmalar, dijital liderlik ile performans arasında orta düzeyde pozitif bir ilişki olduğunu göstermiştir (r=0,702). Bu bulgu, dijital liderlerin çalışanların dijital becerilerini destekleme, yenilikçi bir organizasyonel kültür oluşturma ve iş süreçlerinde teknolojiyi stratejik bir araç olarak kullanma becerilerinin, örgütsel ve bireysel başarıyı artırdığını göstermektedir. Çalışmanın özgün değeri, bu iki kavram arasındaki ilişkinin derinlemesine analiz edilmesi ve literatüre bütüncül bir perspektif kazandırmasıdır.

Keywords

Dijital Liderlik , Performans , Çalışan Performansı , Örgütsel Performans , Örgütsel Dönüşüm.

References

• Avolio, B. J., Sosik, J. J., Kahai, S. S., & Baker, B. (2014). E-leadership: Re-examining transformations in leadership source and transmission. The Leadership Quarterly, 25(1), 105-131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2013.11.003
• Azzam, I., Alserhan, A., Mohammad, Y., Shamaileh, N., & Al-Hawary, S. (2023). Impact of dynamic capabilities on competitive performance: A moderated-mediation model of entrepreneurship orientation and digital leadership. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 7(4), 1949-1962. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.ijdns.2023.6.017
• Băeşu, C., & Bejinaru, R. (2020). Knowledge management strategies for leadership in the digital business environment. Proceedings of the International Conference on Business Excellence, 14(1), 646-656. https://doi.org/10.2478/picbe-2020-0061
• Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1986(23-28), 2. http://ereserve.library.utah.edu/Annual/PSY/3960/Gelfand/social1.pdf
• Cortellazzo, L., Bruni, E., & Zampieri, R. (2019). The role of leadership in a digitalized world: A review. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 1938. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01938
• Dawson, A. (2016). eofs: A library for EOF analysis of meteorological, oceanographic, and climate data. Journal of Open Research Software, 4(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/jors.122
• Digital inclusion of all—ITU PP-18—Plenipotentiary Conference. (t.y.). Geliş tarihi 10 Aralık 2024, gönderen https://www.itu.int/web/pp-18/en/backgrounder/digital-inclusion-of-all
• Fang, L. (2023). Examining the Effects of Digital Leadership Strategies on Enhancing Organizational Innovation Performance. Journal of Logistics, Informatics and Service Science, 10(4), 318-335. https://doi.org/10.33168/JLISS.2023.0422
• Fletcher, C. (2001). Performance appraisal and management: The developing research agenda. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 74(4), 473-487. https://doi.org/10.1348/096317901167488
• Goodhue, D. L., & Thompson, R. L. (1995). Task-technology fit and individual performance. MIS quarterly, 213-236. https://www.jstor.org/stable/249689
• Gunawan, A., Yuniarsih, T., Sobandi, A., & Muhidin, S. A. (2023). Digital leadership towards performance through mediation of organizational commitment to e-commerce in Indonesia. Aptisi Transactions on Technopreneurship (ATT), 5(1Sp), 68-76. https://doi.org/10.34306/att.v5i1Sp.325
• Hargitai, D. M., & Bencsik, A. (2023). The role of leadership in digital learning organizations. Emerging Science Journal, 7, 111-124. http://dx.doi.org/10.28991/ESJ-2023-SIED2-09
• Hensellek, S. (2020). Digital Leadership – Ein Rahmenwerk zur erfolgreichen Führung im digitalen Zeitalter. Içinde T. Kollmann (Ed.), Handbuch Digitale Wirtschaft (ss. 1189-1207). Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-17291-6_81
• Higgins, J. P. T., & Thompson, S. G. (2002). Quantifying heterogeneity in a meta‐analysis. Statistics in Medicine, 21(11), 1539-1558. https://doi.org/10.1002/sim.1186
• Imran, F., Shahzad, K., Butt, A., & Kantola, J. (2020). Leadership Competencies for Digital Transformation: Evidence from Multiple Cases. Içinde J. I. Kantola, S. Nazir, & V. Salminen (Ed.), Advances in Human Factors, Business Management and Leadership (C. 1209, ss. 81-87). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50791-6_11
• Kane, G. C., Palmer, D., Phillips, A. N., & Kiron, D. (2015). Is your business ready for a digital future? MIT Sloan management review, 56(4), 37. http://mitsmr.com/1BkggSi
• Kesen, M. (2015). Örgütsel demokrasinin çalışan performansı üzerine etkileri: Örgütsel özdeşleşmenin aracılık rolü. Çankırı Karatekin Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 6(2), 535-562. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/253885
• Mollah, M. A., Choi, J.-H., Hwang, S.-J., & Shin, J.-K. (2023). Exploring a pathway to sustainable organizational performance of South Korea in the digital age: The effect of digital leadership on IT capabilities and organizational learning. Sustainability, 15(10), 7875. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15107875
• Muniroh, M., Hamidah, H., & Abdullah, T. (2022). Managerial implications on the relation of digital leadership, digital culture, organizational learning, and innovation of the employee performance (case study of PT. Telkom digital and next business department). Management and Entrepreneurship: Trends of Development, 1(19), 58-75.https://doi.org/10.26661/2522-1566/2022-1/19-05
• Oktaysoy, O., Topcuoglu, E., Ozgen-Cigdemli, A. O., Kaygin, E., Kosa, G., Turan-Torun, B., ... & Uygungil-Erdogan, S. (2025). The mediating role of job satisfaction in the effect of green transformational leadership on intention to leave the job. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1490203. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1490203
• Pepe, G., & Pavone, P. (2021). CONCEPTUAL BASIS FOR THE DEFINITION OF DIGITAL LEADERSHIP. A Search for Emerging Trends in the Pandemic Times”, 48. https://doi.org/10.22495/cgsetpt7
• Philip, J., Gilli, K., & Knappstein, M. (2023). Identifying key leadership competencies for digital transformation: Evidence from a cross-sectoral Delphi study of global managers. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 44(3), 392-406. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-02-2022-0063
• Pulakos, E. D., Arad, S., Donovan, M. A., & Plamondon, K. E. (2000). Adaptability in the workplace: Development of a taxonomy of adaptive performance. Journal of applied psychology, 85(4), 612. https://doi.org/10.1037//0021-9010.85.4.612
• Richard, P. J., Devinney, T. M., Yip, G. S., & Johnson, G. (2009). Measuring Organizational Performance: Towards Methodological Best Practice. Journal of Management, 35(3), 718-804. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206308330560
• Saddique, F., Ramzan, B., Sanyal, S., & Alamari, J. (2023). Role of digital leadership towards sustainable business performance: A parallel mediation model. Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development, 7(3), 2416. https://doi.org/10.24294/jipd.v7i3.2416
• Sagbas, M., Oktaysoy, O., Topcuoglu, E., Kaygin, E., & Erdogan, F. A. (2023). The mediating role of innovative behavior on the effect of digital leadership on intrapreneurship intention and job performance. Behavioral sciences, 13(10), 874. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13100874
• Serenko, A., Abubakar, A. M., & Bontis, N. (2024). Understanding the drivers of organizational business performance from the human capital perspective. Knowledge and Process Management, 31(1), 48-59. https://doi.org/10.1002/kpm.1763
• Sheninger, E. (2014). Pillars of digital leadership. International Center for Leadership in Education, 1(4), 1-4. https://coaching.leadered.com/files/PillarsOfDigitalLeadership.pdf
• Shin, J., Mollah, M. A., & Choi, J. (2023). Sustainability and organizational performance in South Korea: The effect of digital leadership on digital culture and employees’ digital capabilities. Sustainability, 15(3), 2027. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032027
• Topçuoğlu, E., Kavak, O., & Yenikaya, M. A. (2022). İnovatif bir strateji olarak dijital liderliğin teknoloji kabul modeli ile analizi. Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey Üniversitesi Sosyal ve Ekonomik Araştırmalar Dergisi, 24(42), 569-585. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/2437584
• Viechtbauer, W. (2010). Conducting meta-analyses in R with the metafor package. Journal of statistical software, 36(3), 1-48. https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v036.i03
• Wahyuanto, E., & Marwan, K. G. (2023). The Impact of Digital Leadership, Compensation and Work Motivation on Educator Performance at Sekolah Tinggi Multimedia" MMTC" Yogyakarta. Remittances Review, 8(4). https://doi.org/10.33182/rr.v8i4.206
• Westerman, G., Bonnet, D., & McAfee, A. (2014). Leading digital: Turning technology into business transformation. Harvard Business Press. https://books.google.com/books?hl=tr&lr=&id=Fh9eBAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR4&dq=Westerman,+G.,+Bonnet,+D.,+%26+McAfee,+A.+(2014).+Leading+digital
• Yu, J., & Moon, T. (2021). Impact of digital strategic orientation on organizational performance through digital competence. Sustainability, 13(17), 9766. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179766
• Yusuf, M., Satia, H., Bernardianto, R., Nurhasanah, N., Irwani, I., & Setyoko, P. (2023). Exploring the role of digital leadership and digital transformation on the performance of the public sector organizations. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 7(4), 1983-1990. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.ijdns.2023.6.014
• Zeike, S., Bradbury, K., Lindert, L., & Pfaff, H. (2019). Digital leadership skills and associations with psychological well-being. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(14), 2628. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16142628
• Zhu, P. (2015). Digital master: Debunk the myths of enterprise digital maturity. Lulu Publishing Services. https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.5555/2789384