Refine
Language
- English (3)
Is part of the Bibliography
- no (3)
Keywords
- 01 (1)
- 03 (1)
- Digital leadership (2)
- Digital transformation (2)
- Internalization (1)
- Leadership assessment (1)
- Leadership development (1)
- Organizational change (1)
- Self-assessment (1)
Institute
Responsible AI Framework
(2025)
Digital leaders play a pivotal role in the success of digital transformation initiatives. They increase the confidence of their organizations during these often risky and disruptive transitions. The most pressing question is how they can lead their companies into a future that is continually shaped by digital innovations. Several methods for effective leadership have been theorized, and many of them have been substantiated and used in practice. But digital leadership demands a certain set of new dimensions ― human traits and technical skills ― to meet the challenges of the digital age. The digital leadership self-assessment scale helps leaders assess and improve their performance, no matter where they sit in the organization—CEO, CDO, functional leader, or program manager. Companies can use it to develop a digital-ready talent pool and the management teams necessary for leading successful and responsible digital transformations. In this article, we administer the self-assessment scale and assess how early career managers — professional MBA students — internalize these digital traits as they develop their careers and leadership abilities. We summarize the findings under three levels of understanding — knowledge-based, experience-based, and aspiration-based — and discuss their interconnectedness and collective role in strengthening the success of a digital leader's efforts.
The success of digital transformation initiatives relies heavily on effective digital leadership, which requires a blend of human-centric traits and technical expertise. While digital technologies enable transformation, organizations must develop leaders with the skills to navigate the complexities of change, foster innovation, and align strategies with organizational goals. Despite the growing importance of digital leadership, there is a lack of standardized, validated tools to measure and assess digital leadership competencies systematically. This study introduces the Digital Leadership Scale (DLS), a validated self-assessment tool designed to measure a leader’s ability across seven human-centric dimensions essential for digital transformation: Positive Attitude, Ethical AI Use, Growth Mindset, Track Record, Transparent Agenda, Skills Acquisition, and Participative Style. The DLS serves as a practical tool for leaders to engage in self-reflection, identify strengths and development areas, and adopt personalized learning strategies. Organizations can leverage this scale to cultivate a digitally proficient workforce and foster leadership capabilities aligned with digital transformation success.
