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