Digital leadership and organisational performance: a systematic literature review

The rapid evolution of digital technologies has fundamentally reshaped organisational structures and leadership dynamics, prompting an urgent need to understand the role of digital leadership in enhancing organisational performance. Despite growing scholarly attention, insights remain fragmented regarding how digital leadership influences performance across different organisational contexts. This systematic literature review aims to synthesise recent empirical evidence on this relationship by examining scholarly articles published between 2023 and 2025. An advanced search strategy was employed across the Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases, following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, to identify, screen, and synthesise empirical studies on digital leadership and organisational performance within the specified period. After de-duplication and eligibility checks, 20 primary studies were retained for synthesis. The analysis was organised into three thematic categories: digital leadership and organisational performance in sustainable and technological contexts; digital leadership in public sector and knowledge-driven organisations; and digital leadership, employee dynamics, and organisational agility. Findings reveal that digital leadership plays a multifaceted role in improving organisational performance by enabling sustainability practices, accelerating digital transformation, and promoting innovation. This review addresses three research questions concerning adoption challenges, implementation pathways that enhance performance, and employee and managerial challenges in driving organisational change and sustainability, and proposes a conceptual research model to consolidate the reviewed evidence. In conclusion, digital leadership emerges as a strategic enabler that not only drives technological adoption but also cultivates a performance-oriented culture across sectors.