The Impact of Digital Leadership on Employee Performance in the Education Sector of Iraq: The Mediating Role of Digital Transformation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31674/ijmhs.2026.v10i01.008Abstract
Background: The rapid technological developments are interfering with the conventional academic activities. Colleges and universities are required to be computerized in order to stay relevant. Nevertheless, transformation cannot be effectively adapted without new technology; it also needs a good leader. Objectives: The present investigation aims at measuring the impact of digital leadership on employee performance, with a special focus on the mediating function of digital transformation in the private sector of higher education. Methods: A quantitative and cross-sectional design was used; the data sources for primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire for a purposive sample of 128 academic and administrative staff of private colleges and universities in Iraq. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (SmartPLS) was used to test the hypotheses. Results: Empirical findings show that digital leadership has a significant positive direct impact on the digital transformation initiatives and the individual employee's performance. Moreover, the findings support the fact that digital transformation is a crucial intermediary mechanism that helps convert strategic vision, technical support, and innovative ambience fostered by digital leaders into tangible improvements in the productivity of the workforce and execution of tasks. Conclusion: The study theoretically contributes to the resource-based view by showing that the process of structural technological upgrades is, in essence, made up of human-centric activities that are orchestrated under adept leadership. Consequently, the study provides a strategic framework for university administrators to consider and clarify that capital expenditures in digital platform infrastructure need to be tied to proactive leadership development efforts to upgrade the performance of the staff.
Keywords:
Digital Leadership, Digital Transformation, Employee Performance, Higher Education, Iraq, PLS‑SEMDownloads
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