Leadership, Digital Capability, and Organizational Performance: The Mediating Role of Employee Agility and Organizational Culture

Abstract

This study addresses the growing importance of effective leadership in maintaining organizational performance amid rapid digital transformation in the logistics sector. This study investigates the effect of strategic leadership on organizational performance in a logistics company undergoing digital transformation. Digital leadership capability, employee agility, and organizational culture are positioned as mediating variables; the model does not include any moderating variables. The study employs a quantitative survey design with 200 respondents, and the data are analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings demonstrate that strategic leadership significantly enhances organizational performance, digital leadership capability, and employee agility. Digital leadership capability also strengthens employee agility, while employee agility significantly shapes organizational culture and has a slightly stronger direct effect on organizational performance than organizational culture. The significant serial mediation findings further indicate that strategic leadership and digital leadership capability contribute to organizational performance through employee agility and organizational culture, highlighting the important role of employee agility in translating leadership capabilities into improved organizational performance. These findings contribute to understanding leadership in digitally transforming logistics organizations and imply that strengthening strategic and digital leadership alongside employee agility can support sustainable organizational performance.