Leadership in Digital Transformation of the Public Sector: A Systematic Literature Review
TL;DR
It is concluded that the success of digital transformation in the public sector is not determined by technology investment alone, but by leadership maturity that integrates strategic vision, organizational agility, and public value simultaneously.
Abstract
Digital transformation in the public sector is a complex and multidimensional change process in which leadership plays a central yet insufficiently mapped role in the literature. This study aims to systematically review the literature on leadership in public sector digital transformation to identify dominant leadership roles, success factors, and barriers. Using a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach based on the Scopus database with PRISMA selection flow, this study examined 33 articles from 398 initial records published between 2015 and 2025. Bibliometric analysis was conducted using VOSviewer to map research trends and clusters. The results reveal three main findings: (1) transformational, digital, and strategic leadership are the most dominant roles, forming a complementary triad model; (2) organizational culture, digital capability, and stakeholder engagement are the key determinants of transformation success; and (3) institutional-bureaucratic barriers, leadership capability gaps, and human resource resistance are the most critical challenges. This study concludes that the success of digital transformation in the public sector is not determined by technology investment alone, but by leadership maturity that integrates strategic vision, organizational agility, and public value simultaneously.