Transformational Leadership and Digital Organization

Abstract

This academic article aims to synthesize relevant literature and present the role of transformational leadership in driving digital organizational development. The synthesis reveals that transformational leadership plays a significant role in digital organizational development across six dimensions: (1) creating a digital vision and transformation strategy, (2) creating and developing a digital culture, (3) developing the digital skills and competencies of personnel, (4) inspiring and motivating, (5) managing change and building organizational agility, and (6) fostering innovation and continuous learning. When the findings are linked to the Thai organizational context, three major challenges emerge: (1) the lack of a digital mindset, which constitutes a barrier to the development of digital skills and competencies; (2) the lack of a digital vision that can be translated into practical action, particularly in bureaucratically structured organizations; and (3) resistance to change deeply embedded in traditional organizational culture, coupled with a lack of an innovation culture. The findings of this study benefit executives and academics in understanding the roles and challenges of transformational leadership, thereby informing the effective design of digital organizational development strategies tailored to the Thai organizational context.