Leadership and Organizational Culture in Shaping the Success of Digital Transformation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63985/ttbr.v1i4.88Keywords:
Digital Transformation, Digital Leadership, Organizational Culture, Organizational Change, Digital Transformation SuccessAbstract
Digital transformation is a strategic agenda for organizations, but its implementation often fails because it focuses too much on technology and neglects the role of leadership and organizational culture. This study aims to analyze the role of leadership and organizational culture in shaping the success of digital transformation. The study uses a qualitative approach with a case study design, where data is collected through in-depth interviews, observations, and document analysis of informants selected purposively based on their direct involvement in the digital transformation process. Data analysis is conducted thematically through the stages of reduction, presentation, and conclusion drawing. The results of the study indicate that leadership plays a role as a visionary, strategic decision maker, and role model in the application of digital work values, while also serving to strengthen an adaptive, collaborative, and innovative organizational culture. The success of digital transformation is marked by changes in work methods and business processes, increased collaboration and efficiency, and changes in mindset and digital-based work behavior. The findings also reveal that a lack of synergy between leadership and organizational culture causes digital transformation to be partial and unsustainable. This study confirms that the success of digital transformation is multidimensional and is the result of synergy between leadership and organizational culture, thereby contributing theoretically to the strengthening of non-technological approaches in the study of digital transformation and providing practical implications for organizations in designing sustainable digital transformation strategies.
References
Abdul Hamid, R. (2022). The Role of Employees’ Technology Readiness, Job Meaningfulness and Proactive Personality in Adaptive Performance. Sustainability, 14(23), 15696. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315696
Ahsan, M. J. (2025). Cultivating a culture of learning: The role of leadership in fostering lifelong development. The Learning Organization, 32(2), 282–306. https://doi.org/10.1108/TLO-03-2024-0099
Aldhi, I. F., Suhariadi, F., Rahmawati, E., Supriharyanti, E., Hardaningtyas, D., Sugiarti, R., & Abbas, A. (2025). Bridging Digital Gaps in Smart City Governance: The Mediating Role of Managerial Digital Readiness and the Moderating Role of Digital Leadership. Smart Cities, 8(4), 117. https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities8040117
Alojail, M., & Khan, S. B. (2023). Impact of Digital Transformation toward Sustainable Development. Sustainability, 15(20), 14697. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152014697
Alshammari, K. H., Alshallaqi, M., & Al-Mamary, Y. H. (2024). Digital transformation dilemma in the era of changing dynamics: How organizational culture influence the success of digital transformation. Human Systems Management, 43(4), 455–472. https://doi.org/10.3233/HSM-230163
Baskoro, T. (2024). Digital Disruption: Landscape of E-Business for Competitive Advantage. Advances in Business & Industrial Marketing Research, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.60079/abim.v2i1.218
Bozkus, K. (2024). Organizational Culture Change and Technology: Navigating the Digital Transformation. In M. Sarfraz & W. Ul Hassan Shah (Eds.), Business, Management and Economics (Vol. 16). IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112903
Bux, A., Zhu, Y., & Devi, S. (2025). Enhancing Organizational Agility Through Knowledge Sharing and Open Innovation: The Role of Transformational Leadership in Digital Transformation. Sustainability, 17(15), 6765. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17156765
Fahmi, T. A., Tjakraatmadja, J. H., & Ginting, H. (2023). An empirical study of emerging digital culture and digital attitudes in an established company. Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management, 16(2), 342. https://doi.org/10.3926/jiem.5976
Faro, B., Abedin, B., & Cetindamar, D. (2022). Hybrid organizational forms in public sector’s digital transformation: A technology enactment approach. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 35(6), 1742–1763. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-03-2021-0126
Gagan Deep. (2023). Digital transformation’s impact on organizational culture. International Journal of Science and Research Archive, 10(2), 396–401. https://doi.org/10.30574/ijsra.2023.10.2.0977
Gilli, K., Lettner, N., & Guettel, W. (2024). The future of leadership: New digital skills or old analog virtues? Journal of Business Strategy, 45(1), 10–16. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBS-06-2022-0093
Goraya, M. A. S., Yaqub, M. Z., Khan, M. A., Akram, M. S., & Alofaysan, H. (2026). Transforming performance: How agility, response, resilience and support shape success in digital strategies. Information Technology & People, 39(1), 325–353. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-05-2024-0592
Jaboob, M., Al-Ansi, A. M., Al-Okaily, M., & Ferasso, M. (2025). Harnessing artificial intelligence for strategic decision-making: The catalyst impact of digital leadership. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJBA-12-2024-0706
Koczerga, M. (2024). Navigating the Digital Chasm: An Analysis of Digital Transformation Failures, Organizational Readiness Assessment Methods, and Their Limitations Articles. Scientific Journal of Bielsko-Biala School of Finance and Law, 28(3), 60–66. https://doi.org/10.19192/wsfip.sj3.2024.7
Leso, B. H., Cortimiglia, M. N., & Ghezzi, A. (2023). The contribution of organizational culture, structure, and leadership factors in the digital transformation of SMEs: A mixed-methods approach. Cognition, Technology & Work, 25(1), 151–179. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-022-00714-2
Müller, S. D., Konzag, H., Nielsen, J. A., & Sandholt, H. B. (2024). Digital transformation leadership competencies: A contingency approach. International Journal of Information Management, 75, 102734. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2023.102734
Nabella, S. D., Rivaldo, Y., Kurniawan, R., Nurmayunita, ., Sari, D. P., Luran, M. F., Amirullah, ., Saputra, E. K., Rizki, M., Sova, M., Nurhayati, ., & Wulandari, K. (2022). The Influence of Leadership and Organizational Culture Mediated by Organizational Climate on Governance at Senior High School in Batam City. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 12(5), 119. https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2022-0127
Omol, E. J. (2024). Organizational digital transformation: From evolution to future trends. Digital Transformation and Society, 3(3), 240–256. https://doi.org/10.1108/DTS-08-2023-0061
Purnawan, L. (2025). Reconstructing organizational culture in the era of digital transformation: A study of change readiness among employees. RIGGS: Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Business, 4(2), 3614–3623. https://doi.org/10.31004/riggs.v4i2.1066
Ramadhani, W., Khuzaini, K., & Shaddiq, S. (2024). Resistance to Change: Human Resources Issues in the Implementation of Industry 4.0 Technology. At-Tadbir : Jurnal Ilmiah Manajemen. https://doi.org/10.31602/piuk.v0i0.15802
Sacavém, A., De Bem Machado, A., Dos Santos, J. R., Palma-Moreira, A., Belchior-Rocha, H., & Au-Yong-Oliveira, M. (2025). Leading in the Digital Age: The Role of Leadership in Organizational Digital Transformation. Administrative Sciences, 15(2), 43. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci15020043
Schiuma, G., Schettini, E., Santarsiero, F., & Carlucci, D. (2022). The transformative leadership compass: Six competencies for digital transformation entrepreneurship. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 28(5), 1273–1291. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-01-2021-0087
Stankevice, I., & Egerland, J. M. (2025). AI-Augmented Digital Collaboration Improvement Framework for Sustainable Digital Transformation. Administrative Sciences, 16(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci16010015
Torres, L. L. (2022). School Organizational Culture and Leadership: Theoretical Trends and New Analytical Proposals. Education Sciences, 12(4), 254. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12040254
Velyako, V., & Musa, S. (2023). The Relationship Between Digital Organizational Culture, Digital Capability, Digital Innovation, Organizational Resilience, and Competitive Advantage. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 15(3), 11956–11975. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-023-01575-4
Wardhana, V. D., Gautama So, I., Warganegara, D. L., & Hamsal, M. (2023). Mitigating disruption through adaptive organization and organization learning to create a transformation business model. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 38(9), 1822–1836. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-05-2022-0208
Yang, Z., Dong, M., Guo, H., & Peng, W. (2025). Empowering resilience through digital transformation intentions: Synergizing knowledge sharing and transformational leadership amid COVID-19. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 38(1), 59–81. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-07-2023-0303
Zhang, W., Zeng, X., Liang, H., Xue, Y., & Cao, X. (2023). Understanding How Organizational Culture Affects Innovation Performance: A Management Context Perspective. Sustainability, 15(8), 6644. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086644
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 TechTalent & Business Review
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
