Leadership Approaches to Digital Transformation: A Bibliometric Analysis of Emerging Trends and Insights

Abstract

Digital transformation (DT) has emerged as a strategic necessity across industries, fundamentally reshaping organizational operations, structures, and business models through the integration of advanced technologies. Leadership is a crucial enabler of this transformation, aligning digital strategies with organizational objectives, managing change, addressing resistance, and promoting innovation. This study employs a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to explore the research landscape on leadership in digital transformation. By analysing 1,147 publications from the Scopus database (2015–2024), the study identifies key trends, influential authors, research hotspots, and emerging themes. Findings reveal a notable increase in scholarly output over recent years, underscoring the rising interest in leadership’s role in digital advancement. Transformational and digital leadership are the most prominent paradigms, emphasizing competencies such as technological proficiency, strategic foresight, and change management. Co-occurrence analysis of keywords reveals clusters around digital leadership, organizational change, innovation, and human-centric dimensions. Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom emerge as leading contributors to this body of work. Despite growing interest, gaps persist in understanding the cultural, ethical, and emotional aspects of digital leadership. This review not only synthesises current knowledge but also suggests directions for future research, including cross-cultural leadership dynamics, AI integration, emotional intelligence, and ethical governance in digital contexts. By offering a structured overview, this study provides meaningful insights for academics, practitioners, and policymakers aiming to design effective leadership models for a rapidly evolving digital environment.