Digital Leadership in the Age of Transformation: A Global Bibliometric Analysis of Research Trends and Knowledge Structures
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35877/454RI.daengku3197Keywords:
Digital Leadership, Bibliometric Analysis, Digital Transformation, Leadership Evolution, Future Leadership TrendsAbstract
This study examines the evolution and future trends of digital leadership through a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of research publications from 2015 to 2024. The investigation employs bibliometric analysis and topic modeling techniques on metadata from 265 Scopus-indexed articles across 199 distinct sources, focusing specifically on publications with "digital leadership" in their titles. The results reveal a remarkable annual growth rate of 67.18% in publications, with citation patterns demonstrating increasing scholarly impact and recognition. The analysis identifies three distinct thematic clusters characterizing the field's development: digital transformation and innovation, organizational capabilities and adaptiveness, and human-social factors. Additionally, the study uncovers a significant shift in research focus from purely technical considerations to more integrated approaches that encompass human, social, and ethical dimensions, particularly post-2020. The findings indicate six emerging domains that will likely dominate future digital leadership research: AI-augmented leadership, sustainable digital leadership, metaverse leadership, quantum-ready leadership, cross-cultural digital leadership, and digital ethics and well-being. This evolution suggests a transformation in how digital leadership is conceptualized, moving from a technology-centric approach to a more nuanced understanding that balances technological advancement with human factors, sustainability, and ethical considerations in organizational leadership.
References
Agus Perdana Windarto, Anjar Wanto, S Solikhun, & Ronal Watrianthos. (2023). A Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis of Deep Learning Techniques for Breast Cancer Segmentation: Trends and Topic Exploration (2019-2023). Jurnal RESTI (Rekayasa Sistem Dan Teknologi Informasi), 7(5), 1155–1164. https://doi.org/10.29207/resti.v7i5.5274
Agustina, R., Kamdi, W., Hadi, S., Muladi, & Nurhadi, D. (2020). Influence of the principal’s digital leadership on the reflective practices of vocational teachers mediated by trust, self efficacy, and work engagement. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 19(11). https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.11.2
AlAjmi, M. K. (2022). The impact of digital leadership on teachers’ technology integration during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait. International Journal of Educational Research, 112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2022.101928
AlNuaimi, B. K., Kumar Singh, S., Ren, S., Budhwar, P., & Vorobyev, D. (2022). Mastering digital transformation: The nexus between leadership, agility, and digital strategy. Journal of Business Research, 145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.03.038
Antonopoulou, H., Halkiopoulos, C., Barlou, O., & Beligiannis, G. N. (2021). Associations between traditional and digital leadership in academic environment: During the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerging Science Journal, 5(4). https://doi.org/10.28991/esj-2021-01286
Araujo, L. M. de, Priadana, S., Paramarta, V., & Sunarsi, D. (2021). Digital leadership in business organizations. International Journal of Educational Administration, Management, and Leadership. https://doi.org/10.51629/ijeamal.v2i1.18
Cockburn, T., & Smith, P. (2020). Reflecting emerging digital technologies in leadership models. In Global Business Leadership Development for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-4861-5.ch002
Cortellazzo, L., Bruni, E., & Zampieri, R. (2019). The role of leadership in a digitalized world: A review. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(AUG). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01938
Hafiza Hamzah, N., Khalid, M., & Wahab, J. A. (2021). The effects of principals’ digital leadership on teachers’ digital teaching during the covid-19 pandemic in malaysia. Journal of Education and E-Learning Research, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2021.82.216.221
Han, J., Liu, G., & Yang, Y. (2023). Latent Dirichlet Allocation-Based Topic Mining Analysis of Educational Scientific Research Projects Based on 2360 NSF Education Projects. TEM Journal, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.18421/TEM122-32
Jelodar, H., Wang, Y., Yuan, C., Feng, X., Jiang, X., Li, Y., & Zhao, L. (2019). Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) and topic modeling: models, applications, a survey. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 78(11). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-018-6894-4
Khaw, T. Y., Teoh, A. P., Abdul Khalid, S. N., & Letchmunan, S. (2022). The impact of digital leadership on sustainable performance: a systematic literature review. In Journal of Management Development (Vol. 41, Issues 9–10). https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-03-2022-0070
K?yak, A., & Bozkurt, G. (2020). A General Overview To Digital Leadership Concept. Uluslararas? Sosyal ve Ekonomik …, 1.
Lameijer, B. A., Pereira, W., & Antony, J. (2021). The implementation of Lean Six Sigma for operational excellence in digital emerging technology companies. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 32(9). https://doi.org/10.1108/JMTM-09-2020-0373
Laukka, E., Pölkki, T., & Kanste, O. (2022). Leadership in the context of digital health services: A concept analysis. Journal of Nursing Management, 30(7). https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13763
McCarthy, P., Sammon, D., & Alhassan, I. (2022). Digital Transformation Leadership Characteristics: A Literature Analysis. Journal of Decision Systems, 32(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/12460125.2021.1908934
Molla, A., & Biru, A. (2023). The evolution of the Fintech entrepreneurial ecosystem in Africa: An exploratory study and model for future development. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.122123
Muskhir, M., Luthfi, A., Watrianthos, R., Usmeldi, U., Fortuna, A., & Dwinggo Samala, A. (2024). Emerging Research on Virtual Reality Applications in Vocational Education: A Bibliometric Analysis. Journal of Information Technology Education: Innovations in Practice, 23, 005. https://doi.org/10.28945/5284
Ninkov, A., Frank, J. R., & Maggio, L. A. (2022). Bibliometrics: Methods for studying academic publishing. Perspectives on Medical Education, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40037-021-00695-4
Pessin, V. Z., Yamane, L. H., & Siman, R. R. (2022). Smart bibliometrics: an integrated method of science mapping and bibliometric analysis. Scientometrics, 127(6). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-022-04406-6
Purwanto, E., & Irawan, A. P. (2023). BIBLIOMETRICS ANALYSIS OF DIGITAL LEADERSHIP RESEARCH. International Journal of Application on Economics and Business, 1(4). https://doi.org/10.24912/ijaeb.v1i4.2216-2230
Ratajczak, S. (2022). Digital leadership at universities – a systematic literature review. Forum Scientiae Oeconomia, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.23762/FSO_VOL10_NO4_7
Shin, J., Mollah, M. A., & Choi, J. (2023). Sustainability and Organizational Performance in South Korea: The Effect of Digital Leadership on Digital Culture and Employees’ Digital Capabilities. Sustainability (Switzerland), 15(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032027
Tigre, F. B., Curado, C., & Henriques, P. L. (2023). Digital Leadership: A Bibliometric Analysis. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 30(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/15480518221123132
Tulungen, E., Maramis, J., Saerang, D., Tulungen, E. E., Saerang, D. P., Maramis, J. B., Studi Doktor Ilmu Manajemen, P., Ekonomi dan Bisnis, F., & Kunci, K. (2022). DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION: ROLE OF DIGITAL LEADERSHIP. 1116 Jurnal EMBA, 10(2).
Watrianthos, R., Triono Ahmad, S., & Muskhir, M. (2023). Charting the Growth and Structure of Early ChatGPT-Education Research: A Bibliometric Study. Journal of Information Technology Education: Innovations in Practice, 22, 235–253. https://doi.org/10.28945/5221
Wiranto, W., & Uswatunnisa, M. R. (2022). Topic Modeling for Support Ticket using Latent Dirichlet Allocation. Jurnal RESTI (Rekayasa Sistem Dan Teknologi Informasi), 6(6), 998–1005. https://doi.org/10.29207/resti.v6i6.4542
Yao, Q., Tang, H., Liu, Y., & Boadu, F. (2024). The penetration effect of digital leadership on digital transformation: the role of digital strategy consensus and diversity types. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 37(3). https://doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-09-2022-0350
Yusuf, M., Satia, H. M. R., Bernardianto, R. B., Nur-Hasanah, N., Irwani, I., & Setyoko, P. I. (2023). Exploring the role of digital leadership and digital transformation on the performance of the public sector organizations. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.5267/j.ijdns.2023.6.014
Agustina, R., Kamdi, W., Hadi, S., Muladi, & Nurhadi, D. (2020). Influence of the principal’s digital leadership on the reflective practices of vocational teachers mediated by trust, self efficacy, and work engagement. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 19(11). https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.11.2
AlAjmi, M. K. (2022). The impact of digital leadership on teachers’ technology integration during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait. International Journal of Educational Research, 112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2022.101928
AlNuaimi, B. K., Kumar Singh, S., Ren, S., Budhwar, P., & Vorobyev, D. (2022). Mastering digital transformation: The nexus between leadership, agility, and digital strategy. Journal of Business Research, 145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.03.038
Antonopoulou, H., Halkiopoulos, C., Barlou, O., & Beligiannis, G. N. (2021). Associations between traditional and digital leadership in academic environment: During the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerging Science Journal, 5(4). https://doi.org/10.28991/esj-2021-01286
Araujo, L. M. de, Priadana, S., Paramarta, V., & Sunarsi, D. (2021). Digital leadership in business organizations. International Journal of Educational Administration, Management, and Leadership. https://doi.org/10.51629/ijeamal.v2i1.18
Cockburn, T., & Smith, P. (2020). Reflecting emerging digital technologies in leadership models. In Global Business Leadership Development for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-4861-5.ch002
Cortellazzo, L., Bruni, E., & Zampieri, R. (2019). The role of leadership in a digitalized world: A review. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(AUG). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01938
Hafiza Hamzah, N., Khalid, M., & Wahab, J. A. (2021). The effects of principals’ digital leadership on teachers’ digital teaching during the covid-19 pandemic in malaysia. Journal of Education and E-Learning Research, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2021.82.216.221
Han, J., Liu, G., & Yang, Y. (2023). Latent Dirichlet Allocation-Based Topic Mining Analysis of Educational Scientific Research Projects Based on 2360 NSF Education Projects. TEM Journal, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.18421/TEM122-32
Jelodar, H., Wang, Y., Yuan, C., Feng, X., Jiang, X., Li, Y., & Zhao, L. (2019). Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) and topic modeling: models, applications, a survey. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 78(11). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-018-6894-4
Khaw, T. Y., Teoh, A. P., Abdul Khalid, S. N., & Letchmunan, S. (2022). The impact of digital leadership on sustainable performance: a systematic literature review. In Journal of Management Development (Vol. 41, Issues 9–10). https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-03-2022-0070
K?yak, A., & Bozkurt, G. (2020). A General Overview To Digital Leadership Concept. Uluslararas? Sosyal ve Ekonomik …, 1.
Lameijer, B. A., Pereira, W., & Antony, J. (2021). The implementation of Lean Six Sigma for operational excellence in digital emerging technology companies. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 32(9). https://doi.org/10.1108/JMTM-09-2020-0373
Laukka, E., Pölkki, T., & Kanste, O. (2022). Leadership in the context of digital health services: A concept analysis. Journal of Nursing Management, 30(7). https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13763
McCarthy, P., Sammon, D., & Alhassan, I. (2022). Digital Transformation Leadership Characteristics: A Literature Analysis. Journal of Decision Systems, 32(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/12460125.2021.1908934
Molla, A., & Biru, A. (2023). The evolution of the Fintech entrepreneurial ecosystem in Africa: An exploratory study and model for future development. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.122123
Muskhir, M., Luthfi, A., Watrianthos, R., Usmeldi, U., Fortuna, A., & Dwinggo Samala, A. (2024). Emerging Research on Virtual Reality Applications in Vocational Education: A Bibliometric Analysis. Journal of Information Technology Education: Innovations in Practice, 23, 005. https://doi.org/10.28945/5284
Ninkov, A., Frank, J. R., & Maggio, L. A. (2022). Bibliometrics: Methods for studying academic publishing. Perspectives on Medical Education, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40037-021-00695-4
Pessin, V. Z., Yamane, L. H., & Siman, R. R. (2022). Smart bibliometrics: an integrated method of science mapping and bibliometric analysis. Scientometrics, 127(6). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-022-04406-6
Purwanto, E., & Irawan, A. P. (2023). BIBLIOMETRICS ANALYSIS OF DIGITAL LEADERSHIP RESEARCH. International Journal of Application on Economics and Business, 1(4). https://doi.org/10.24912/ijaeb.v1i4.2216-2230
Ratajczak, S. (2022). Digital leadership at universities – a systematic literature review. Forum Scientiae Oeconomia, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.23762/FSO_VOL10_NO4_7
Shin, J., Mollah, M. A., & Choi, J. (2023). Sustainability and Organizational Performance in South Korea: The Effect of Digital Leadership on Digital Culture and Employees’ Digital Capabilities. Sustainability (Switzerland), 15(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032027
Tigre, F. B., Curado, C., & Henriques, P. L. (2023). Digital Leadership: A Bibliometric Analysis. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 30(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/15480518221123132
Tulungen, E., Maramis, J., Saerang, D., Tulungen, E. E., Saerang, D. P., Maramis, J. B., Studi Doktor Ilmu Manajemen, P., Ekonomi dan Bisnis, F., & Kunci, K. (2022). DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION: ROLE OF DIGITAL LEADERSHIP. 1116 Jurnal EMBA, 10(2).
Watrianthos, R., Triono Ahmad, S., & Muskhir, M. (2023). Charting the Growth and Structure of Early ChatGPT-Education Research: A Bibliometric Study. Journal of Information Technology Education: Innovations in Practice, 22, 235–253. https://doi.org/10.28945/5221
Wiranto, W., & Uswatunnisa, M. R. (2022). Topic Modeling for Support Ticket using Latent Dirichlet Allocation. Jurnal RESTI (Rekayasa Sistem Dan Teknologi Informasi), 6(6), 998–1005. https://doi.org/10.29207/resti.v6i6.4542
Yao, Q., Tang, H., Liu, Y., & Boadu, F. (2024). The penetration effect of digital leadership on digital transformation: the role of digital strategy consensus and diversity types. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 37(3). https://doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-09-2022-0350
Yusuf, M., Satia, H. M. R., Bernardianto, R. B., Nur-Hasanah, N., Irwani, I., & Setyoko, P. I. (2023). Exploring the role of digital leadership and digital transformation on the performance of the public sector organizations. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.5267/j.ijdns.2023.6.014
Downloads
Published
2025-01-28
How to Cite
Indarta, Y. (2025). Digital Leadership in the Age of Transformation: A Global Bibliometric Analysis of Research Trends and Knowledge Structures. Daengku: Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Innovation, 5(1), 69–77. https://doi.org/10.35877/454RI.daengku3197
Issue
Section
Articles
