Digital Leadership: Much Ado about Nothing?

Diniz, Daniela Martins; Carvalho Neto, Antônio Moreira de; Sant'Anna, Anderson de Souza

doi:10.1590/1807-7692bar2024240035

Daniela Martins Diniz

conceptualization

investigation

supervision

validation

Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, Departamento de Ciências Administrativas e Contábeis, São João del-Rei, MG, Brazil. danidiniz09@yahoo.com.br

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1110-756X

Antônio Moreira de Carvalho Neto

conceptualization

formal analysis

visualization

writing - original draft

Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Administração , Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. carvalhoneto@pucminas.br

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5439-2845

Anderson de Souza Sant'Anna

conceptualization

validation

visualization

writing - review & editing

Fundação Getulio Vargas, Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. anderson.santanna@fgv.br

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6537-6314

Corresponding author:
Daniela Martins Diniz Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, Departamento de Ciências Administrativas e Contábeis Av. Leite de Castro, n. 847, Fábricas, CEP 36301-182, São João del-Rei, MG, Brazil

Peer review:

is responsible for acknowledging an article’s potential contribution to the frontiers of scholarly knowledge on business or public administration. The authors are the ultimate responsible for the consistency of the theoretical references, the accurate report of empirical data, the personal perspectives, and the use of copyrighted material. This content was evaluated using the double-blind peer review process. The disclosure of the reviewers’ information on the first page is made only after concluding the evaluation process, and with the voluntary consent of the respective reviewers.

Editors-in-Chief:

Ivan Lapuente Garrido https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3741-7961 (Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, Brazil)

Ricardo Limongi https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3231-7515 (Universidade Federal de Goiás, Brazil)

Associate Editor:

Dusan Schreiber https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4258-4780 (Universidade Feevale, Brazil)

Reviewers:

Two anonimous reviewers.

Editorial assistants:

Eduarda Anastacio and Simone Rafael (ANPAD, Maringá, Brazil).

This paper was with the authors for one revision.

Phases	Description
Choosing the database and identifying keywords	Scopus Base, in the search for publications that contain one of the two expressions in English in the title: ‘digital leadership’ or ‘leadership 4.0’. Search code: (TITLE (‘leadership 4.0’) OR TITLE (‘digital leadership’)) AND (LIMIT-TO ( SUBJAREA , ‘BUSI’ ))
Definition of selection criteria	No temporal delimitation, as it is a contemporary topic. Publications limited to the area of business, management, and accounting: 47 documents.
Data collection, organization, and analysis	Import of publications into Mendley software to organize references. - Number of publications found: 47. - Number of publications removed due to duplicity: 7. - Number of publications tracked (title and abstract reading): 40. - Number of publications removed due to little proximity to the central theme (skills required of the digital leader): 13. - Number of publications read in full and included in the sample: 27. - Identification of the most cited works.

Characteristics	Description
Intelligence Quotient (IQ)	The leader’s ability to think and reason; enables leaders to learn and understand new business concepts and models.
Emotional Quotient (EQ)	The ability to understand and use emotions to promote higher levels of collaboration. Leaders with emotional intelligence exhibit traits such as self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and social skills.
Digital Quotient (DQ)	The ability to drive rapid adaptation and transformation by creating and implementing a digital mindset within the organization.
Agility and Adaptability Quotient (AAQ)	The ability to be flexible and agile, adapting to the rapidly changing global context.
Sociocultural Quotient (SCQ)	The ability to operate in different cross-cultural environments.
Creativity and Innovation Quotient (CIQ)	The ability to create creative and learning environments, implementing a culture of innovation at different levels of the organization.

Dimension	No.	Attributes	Authors
Relational (focus on the collective)	1.1	Shared leadership that promotes high levels of collaboration	Mdluli and Makhupe (2017Mdluli, S., & Makhupe, O. (2017). Defining leadership competencies needed for the fourth industrialrevolution: leadership competencies 4.0. Africa Expansion Project. Bank Seta South Africa. https://www.bankseta.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bankseta_Defining-Leadership_Siboniso-Mdluli-Olebile-Makhupe.pdf https://www.bankseta.org.za/wp-content/u... ); Herder-Wynne et al. (2017Herder-Wynne, F, Amato, R. & Weerd, F. U. (2017). Leadership 4.0: A review of thinking, ResearchReport. https://www.oxfordleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/OL-Leadership-4.0-%E2%80%93-A-review-of-the-thinking.pdf https://www.oxfordleadership.com/wp-cont... ); Oberer and Erkollar (2018Oberer, B. & Erkollar, A. (2018). Leadership 4.0: Digital Leaders in the Age of Industry 4.0. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 7(4), 404-412. https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2018.6033 https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2018.6033... ); Kelly (2018Kelly, R. (2018). Constructing leadership 4.0: Swarm leadership and the fourth industrial revolution. Springer.); Abbu et al. (2022Abbu, H., Mugge, P., Gudergan, G., Hoeborn, G., & Kwiatkowski, A. (2022). Measuring the human dimensions of digital leadership for successful digital transformation. Research-Technology Management, 65(3), 39-49. https://doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2022.2048588 https://doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2022.20... ); Erhan et al. (2022Erhan, T., Uzunbacak, H. H., & Aydin, E. (2022). From conventional to digital leadership: Exploring digitalization of leadership and innovative work behavior. Management Research Review, 45(11), 1524-1543. http://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-05-2021-0338 http://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-05-2021-0338... ); Tigre et al. (2023Tigre, F. B., Curado, C., & Henriques, P. L. (2023). Digital leadership: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 30(1), 40-70. https://doi.org/10.1177/15480518221123132 https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051822112313... )
	1.2	Ability to develop transparent and trustworthy relationships	Herder-Wynne et al. (2017Herder-Wynne, F, Amato, R. & Weerd, F. U. (2017). Leadership 4.0: A review of thinking, ResearchReport. https://www.oxfordleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/OL-Leadership-4.0-%E2%80%93-A-review-of-the-thinking.pdf https://www.oxfordleadership.com/wp-cont... ); Guzmán et al. (2020Guzmán, V. E., Muschard, B., Gerolamo, M., Kohl, H., & Rozenfeld, H. (2020). Characteristics and Skills of Leadership in the Context of Industry 4.0. Procedia Manufacturing, 43, 543-550. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2020.02.167 http://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2020.02.... ); Puhovichová and Jankelová (2021Puhovichová, D., & Jankelová, N. (2021). Leadership in conditions of industry 4.0. In SHS Web of Conferences (Vol. 115, p. 03013). EDP Sciences.); Abbu et al. (2022Abbu, H., Mugge, P., Gudergan, G., Hoeborn, G., & Kwiatkowski, A. (2022). Measuring the human dimensions of digital leadership for successful digital transformation. Research-Technology Management, 65(3), 39-49. https://doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2022.2048588 https://doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2022.20... ); Erhan et al. (2022Erhan, T., Uzunbacak, H. H., & Aydin, E. (2022). From conventional to digital leadership: Exploring digitalization of leadership and innovative work behavior. Management Research Review, 45(11), 1524-1543. http://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-05-2021-0338 http://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-05-2021-0338... ); Tigre et al. (2023Tigre, F. B., Curado, C., & Henriques, P. L. (2023). Digital leadership: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 30(1), 40-70. https://doi.org/10.1177/15480518221123132 https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051822112313... )
	1.3	Capacity for communication and active listening	Petry (2018Petry, T. (2018). Digital leadership. In Knowledge management in digital change: New findings and practical cases (pp. 209-218). Springer.); Guzmán et al. (2020Guzmán, V. E., Muschard, B., Gerolamo, M., Kohl, H., & Rozenfeld, H. (2020). Characteristics and Skills of Leadership in the Context of Industry 4.0. Procedia Manufacturing, 43, 543-550. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2020.02.167 http://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2020.02.... ); Kwiotkowska et al. (2021Kwiotkowska, A., Gajdzik, B., Wolniak, R., Vveinhardt, J., & Gębczyńska, M. (2021). Leadership competencies in making Industry 4.0 effective: the case of Polish heat and power industry. Energies, 14(14), 1-22. http://doi.org/10.3390/en14144338 http://doi.org/10.3390/en14144338... ); Puhovichová and Jankelová (2021Puhovichová, D., & Jankelová, N. (2021). Leadership in conditions of industry 4.0. In SHS Web of Conferences (Vol. 115, p. 03013). EDP Sciences.); Tigre et al. (2023Tigre, F. B., Curado, C., & Henriques, P. L. (2023). Digital leadership: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 30(1), 40-70. https://doi.org/10.1177/15480518221123132 https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051822112313... )
	1.4	Ability to establish relational networks	Petry (2018Petry, T. (2018). Digital leadership. In Knowledge management in digital change: New findings and practical cases (pp. 209-218). Springer.); Sartori et al. (2018Sartori, G., Zanotto, M. P., & Fachinelli, A. C. (2018). Liderança em Tempos de Indústria 4.0: Novos Papéis para um Novo Perfil? 18ª Mostra de Iniciação Científica, Pós-graduação, Pesquisa e Extensão, Caxias do Sul.); Erhan et al. (2022Erhan, T., Uzunbacak, H. H., & Aydin, E. (2022). From conventional to digital leadership: Exploring digitalization of leadership and innovative work behavior. Management Research Review, 45(11), 1524-1543. http://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-05-2021-0338 http://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-05-2021-0338... )
2. People-centered focus	2.1	Ability to create conditions for the development of individuals	Herder-Wynne et al. (2017Herder-Wynne, F, Amato, R. & Weerd, F. U. (2017). Leadership 4.0: A review of thinking, ResearchReport. https://www.oxfordleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/OL-Leadership-4.0-%E2%80%93-A-review-of-the-thinking.pdf https://www.oxfordleadership.com/wp-cont... ); Oberer and Erkollar (2018Oberer, B. & Erkollar, A. (2018). Leadership 4.0: Digital Leaders in the Age of Industry 4.0. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 7(4), 404-412. https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2018.6033 https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2018.6033... ); Guzmán et al. (2020Guzmán, V. E., Muschard, B., Gerolamo, M., Kohl, H., & Rozenfeld, H. (2020). Characteristics and Skills of Leadership in the Context of Industry 4.0. Procedia Manufacturing, 43, 543-550. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2020.02.167 http://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2020.02.... ); Kwiotkowska et al. (2021Kwiotkowska, A., Gajdzik, B., Wolniak, R., Vveinhardt, J., & Gębczyńska, M. (2021). Leadership competencies in making Industry 4.0 effective: the case of Polish heat and power industry. Energies, 14(14), 1-22. http://doi.org/10.3390/en14144338 http://doi.org/10.3390/en14144338... ); Puhovichová and Jankelová (2021Puhovichová, D., & Jankelová, N. (2021). Leadership in conditions of industry 4.0. In SHS Web of Conferences (Vol. 115, p. 03013). EDP Sciences.)
	2.2	Ability to mobilize people toward objectives	Oberer and Erkollar (2018Oberer, B. & Erkollar, A. (2018). Leadership 4.0: Digital Leaders in the Age of Industry 4.0. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 7(4), 404-412. https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2018.6033 https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2018.6033... ); Sartori et al. (2018Sartori, G., Zanotto, M. P., & Fachinelli, A. C. (2018). Liderança em Tempos de Indústria 4.0: Novos Papéis para um Novo Perfil? 18ª Mostra de Iniciação Científica, Pós-graduação, Pesquisa e Extensão, Caxias do Sul.); Suyanto et al. (2019Suyanto, U. Y., Mu’ah, M., Purwanti, I., & Sayyid, M. (2019). Transformational Leadership: Millennial Leadership Style In Industry 4.0. Manajemen Bisnis, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.22219/jmb.v9i1.9437 https://doi.org/10.22219/jmb.v9i1.9437... ); Abbu et al. (2022Abbu, H., Mugge, P., Gudergan, G., Hoeborn, G., & Kwiatkowski, A. (2022). Measuring the human dimensions of digital leadership for successful digital transformation. Research-Technology Management, 65(3), 39-49. https://doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2022.2048588 https://doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2022.20... )
	2.3	Dealing with and accepting diversity	Herder-Wynne et al. (2017Herder-Wynne, F, Amato, R. & Weerd, F. U. (2017). Leadership 4.0: A review of thinking, ResearchReport. https://www.oxfordleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/OL-Leadership-4.0-%E2%80%93-A-review-of-the-thinking.pdf https://www.oxfordleadership.com/wp-cont... ); Mdluli and Makhupe (2017Mdluli, S., & Makhupe, O. (2017). Defining leadership competencies needed for the fourth industrialrevolution: leadership competencies 4.0. Africa Expansion Project. Bank Seta South Africa. https://www.bankseta.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bankseta_Defining-Leadership_Siboniso-Mdluli-Olebile-Makhupe.pdf https://www.bankseta.org.za/wp-content/u... ); Črešnar and Nedelko (2020Črešnar, R.; Nedelko. (2020). Understanding Future Leaders: How Are Personal Values of Generations Y and Z Tailored to Leadership in Industry 4.0? Sustainability, 12, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114417 https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114417... ); Karippur & Balaramachandran (2022Karippur, N. K., & Balaramachandran, P. R. (2022). Antecedents of effective digital leadership of enterprises in Asia Pacific. Australasian Journal of Information Systems, 26.)
	2.4	Ability to understand and manage both others’ and one’s own emotions	Mdluli and Makhupe (2017Mdluli, S., & Makhupe, O. (2017). Defining leadership competencies needed for the fourth industrialrevolution: leadership competencies 4.0. Africa Expansion Project. Bank Seta South Africa. https://www.bankseta.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bankseta_Defining-Leadership_Siboniso-Mdluli-Olebile-Makhupe.pdf https://www.bankseta.org.za/wp-content/u... ); Kwiotkowska et al. (2021Kwiotkowska, A., Gajdzik, B., Wolniak, R., Vveinhardt, J., & Gębczyńska, M. (2021). Leadership competencies in making Industry 4.0 effective: the case of Polish heat and power industry. Energies, 14(14), 1-22. http://doi.org/10.3390/en14144338 http://doi.org/10.3390/en14144338... ); Puhovichová and Jankelová (2021Puhovichová, D., & Jankelová, N. (2021). Leadership in conditions of industry 4.0. In SHS Web of Conferences (Vol. 115, p. 03013). EDP Sciences.)
3. Digital	3.1	Capacity to learn and apply new digital technologies	Oberer and Erkollar (2018Oberer, B. & Erkollar, A. (2018). Leadership 4.0: Digital Leaders in the Age of Industry 4.0. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 7(4), 404-412. https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2018.6033 https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2018.6033... ); Sartori et al. (2018Sartori, G., Zanotto, M. P., & Fachinelli, A. C. (2018). Liderança em Tempos de Indústria 4.0: Novos Papéis para um Novo Perfil? 18ª Mostra de Iniciação Científica, Pós-graduação, Pesquisa e Extensão, Caxias do Sul.); Abbu et al. (2022Abbu, H., Mugge, P., Gudergan, G., Hoeborn, G., & Kwiatkowski, A. (2022). Measuring the human dimensions of digital leadership for successful digital transformation. Research-Technology Management, 65(3), 39-49. https://doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2022.2048588 https://doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2022.20... ); Tigre et al. (2023Tigre, F. B., Curado, C., & Henriques, P. L. (2023). Digital leadership: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 30(1), 40-70. https://doi.org/10.1177/15480518221123132 https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051822112313... )
	3.2	Ability to lead teams in virtual environments	Avolio et al. (2014Avolio, B. J., Sosik, J. J., Kahai, S. S., & Baker, B. (2014). E-leadership: Re-examining transformations in leadership source and transmission. The Leadership Quarterly, 25(1), 105-131. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.leaqua.2013.11.003 https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.le... ); Tigre et al. (2023Tigre, F. B., Curado, C., & Henriques, P. L. (2023). Digital leadership: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 30(1), 40-70. https://doi.org/10.1177/15480518221123132 https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051822112313... )
	3.3	Capacity to implement a digital mindset within the organization	Mdluli and Makhupe (2017Mdluli, S., & Makhupe, O. (2017). Defining leadership competencies needed for the fourth industrialrevolution: leadership competencies 4.0. Africa Expansion Project. Bank Seta South Africa. https://www.bankseta.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bankseta_Defining-Leadership_Siboniso-Mdluli-Olebile-Makhupe.pdf https://www.bankseta.org.za/wp-content/u... ); Oberer and Erkollar (2018Oberer, B. & Erkollar, A. (2018). Leadership 4.0: Digital Leaders in the Age of Industry 4.0. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 7(4), 404-412. https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2018.6033 https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2018.6033... ); Karippur & Balaramachandran (2022Karippur, N. K., & Balaramachandran, P. R. (2022). Antecedents of effective digital leadership of enterprises in Asia Pacific. Australasian Journal of Information Systems, 26.)
4. Innovation and adaptability	4.1	Ability to create a culture of learning	Mdluli and Makhupe (2017Mdluli, S., & Makhupe, O. (2017). Defining leadership competencies needed for the fourth industrialrevolution: leadership competencies 4.0. Africa Expansion Project. Bank Seta South Africa. https://www.bankseta.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bankseta_Defining-Leadership_Siboniso-Mdluli-Olebile-Makhupe.pdf https://www.bankseta.org.za/wp-content/u... ); Kelly (2018Kelly, R. (2018). Constructing leadership 4.0: Swarm leadership and the fourth industrial revolution. Springer.); Sartori et al. (2018Sartori, G., Zanotto, M. P., & Fachinelli, A. C. (2018). Liderança em Tempos de Indústria 4.0: Novos Papéis para um Novo Perfil? 18ª Mostra de Iniciação Científica, Pós-graduação, Pesquisa e Extensão, Caxias do Sul.); Herder-Wynne et al. (2017Herder-Wynne, F, Amato, R. & Weerd, F. U. (2017). Leadership 4.0: A review of thinking, ResearchReport. https://www.oxfordleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/OL-Leadership-4.0-%E2%80%93-A-review-of-the-thinking.pdf https://www.oxfordleadership.com/wp-cont... ); Puhovichová and Jankelová (2021Puhovichová, D., & Jankelová, N. (2021). Leadership in conditions of industry 4.0. In SHS Web of Conferences (Vol. 115, p. 03013). EDP Sciences.); Abbu et al. (2022Abbu, H., Mugge, P., Gudergan, G., Hoeborn, G., & Kwiatkowski, A. (2022). Measuring the human dimensions of digital leadership for successful digital transformation. Research-Technology Management, 65(3), 39-49. https://doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2022.2048588 https://doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2022.20... ); Karippur & Balaramachandran (2022Karippur, N. K., & Balaramachandran, P. R. (2022). Antecedents of effective digital leadership of enterprises in Asia Pacific. Australasian Journal of Information Systems, 26.); Erhan et al. (2022Erhan, T., Uzunbacak, H. H., & Aydin, E. (2022). From conventional to digital leadership: Exploring digitalization of leadership and innovative work behavior. Management Research Review, 45(11), 1524-1543. http://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-05-2021-0338 http://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-05-2021-0338... ).
	4.2	Adaptability to rapidly changing contexts	Mdluli and Makhupe (2017Mdluli, S., & Makhupe, O. (2017). Defining leadership competencies needed for the fourth industrialrevolution: leadership competencies 4.0. Africa Expansion Project. Bank Seta South Africa. https://www.bankseta.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bankseta_Defining-Leadership_Siboniso-Mdluli-Olebile-Makhupe.pdf https://www.bankseta.org.za/wp-content/u... ); Petry (2018Petry, T. (2018). Digital leadership. In Knowledge management in digital change: New findings and practical cases (pp. 209-218). Springer.); Puhovichová and Jankelová (2021Puhovichová, D., & Jankelová, N. (2021). Leadership in conditions of industry 4.0. In SHS Web of Conferences (Vol. 115, p. 03013). EDP Sciences.); Erhan et al. (2022Erhan, T., Uzunbacak, H. H., & Aydin, E. (2022). From conventional to digital leadership: Exploring digitalization of leadership and innovative work behavior. Management Research Review, 45(11), 1524-1543. http://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-05-2021-0338 http://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-05-2021-0338... ); Tigre et al. (2023Tigre, F. B., Curado, C., & Henriques, P. L. (2023). Digital leadership: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 30(1), 40-70. https://doi.org/10.1177/15480518221123132 https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051822112313... )
	4.3	Creative and innovative thinking	Mdluli and Makhupe (2017Mdluli, S., & Makhupe, O. (2017). Defining leadership competencies needed for the fourth industrialrevolution: leadership competencies 4.0. Africa Expansion Project. Bank Seta South Africa. https://www.bankseta.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bankseta_Defining-Leadership_Siboniso-Mdluli-Olebile-Makhupe.pdf https://www.bankseta.org.za/wp-content/u... ); Herder-Wynne et al. (2017Herder-Wynne, F, Amato, R. & Weerd, F. U. (2017). Leadership 4.0: A review of thinking, ResearchReport. https://www.oxfordleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/OL-Leadership-4.0-%E2%80%93-A-review-of-the-thinking.pdf https://www.oxfordleadership.com/wp-cont... ); Sartori et al. (2018Sartori, G., Zanotto, M. P., & Fachinelli, A. C. (2018). Liderança em Tempos de Indústria 4.0: Novos Papéis para um Novo Perfil? 18ª Mostra de Iniciação Científica, Pós-graduação, Pesquisa e Extensão, Caxias do Sul.); Guzmán et al. (2020Guzmán, V. E., Muschard, B., Gerolamo, M., Kohl, H., & Rozenfeld, H. (2020). Characteristics and Skills of Leadership in the Context of Industry 4.0. Procedia Manufacturing, 43, 543-550. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2020.02.167 http://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2020.02.... )
	4.4	Vision for the future	Oberer and Erkollar (2018Oberer, B. & Erkollar, A. (2018). Leadership 4.0: Digital Leaders in the Age of Industry 4.0. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 7(4), 404-412. https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2018.6033 https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2018.6033... ); Sartori et al. (2018Sartori, G., Zanotto, M. P., & Fachinelli, A. C. (2018). Liderança em Tempos de Indústria 4.0: Novos Papéis para um Novo Perfil? 18ª Mostra de Iniciação Científica, Pós-graduação, Pesquisa e Extensão, Caxias do Sul.); Tigre et al. (2023Tigre, F. B., Curado, C., & Henriques, P. L. (2023). Digital leadership: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 30(1), 40-70. https://doi.org/10.1177/15480518221123132 https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051822112313... )
	4.5	Acceptance and management of complexity and uncertainty	Herder-Wynne et al. (2017Herder-Wynne, F, Amato, R. & Weerd, F. U. (2017). Leadership 4.0: A review of thinking, ResearchReport. https://www.oxfordleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/OL-Leadership-4.0-%E2%80%93-A-review-of-the-thinking.pdf https://www.oxfordleadership.com/wp-cont... ); Petry (2018Petry, T. (2018). Digital leadership. In Knowledge management in digital change: New findings and practical cases (pp. 209-218). Springer.); Karippur & Balaramachandran (2022Karippur, N. K., & Balaramachandran, P. R. (2022). Antecedents of effective digital leadership of enterprises in Asia Pacific. Australasian Journal of Information Systems, 26.)

Transformacional	Digital
Capacity to articulate a collective vision (Gomes & Cruz, 2007Gomes, A. R., & Cruz, J. (2007). Abordagem carismática e transformacional: Modelos conceptuais e contributos para o exercício da liderança. Psicologia USP, 18, 143-161. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-65642007000300008 https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-6564200700... ; Podsakoff et al., 1996Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., & Bommer, W. H. (1996). Transformational leader behaviors and substitutes for leadership as determinants of employee satisfaction, commitment, trust, and organizational citize. Journal of management, 22(2), 259-298. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0149-2063(96)90049-5 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0149-2063(96)90... )	Vision for the future (Oberer & Erkollar, 2018Oberer, B. & Erkollar, A. (2018). Leadership 4.0: Digital Leaders in the Age of Industry 4.0. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 7(4), 404-412. https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2018.6033 https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2018.6033... ; Sartori et al., 2018Sartori, G., Zanotto, M. P., & Fachinelli, A. C. (2018). Liderança em Tempos de Indústria 4.0: Novos Papéis para um Novo Perfil? 18ª Mostra de Iniciação Científica, Pós-graduação, Pesquisa e Extensão, Caxias do Sul.); Ability to mobilize people toward goals (Oberer & Erkollar, 2018; Sartori et al., 2018; Suyanto et al., 2019Suyanto, U. Y., Mu’ah, M., Purwanti, I., & Sayyid, M. (2019). Transformational Leadership: Millennial Leadership Style In Industry 4.0. Manajemen Bisnis, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.22219/jmb.v9i1.9437 https://doi.org/10.22219/jmb.v9i1.9437... )
Importance attributed to collective values (Gomes & Cruz, 2007Gomes, A. R., & Cruz, J. (2007). Abordagem carismática e transformacional: Modelos conceptuais e contributos para o exercício da liderança. Psicologia USP, 18, 143-161. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-65642007000300008 https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-6564200700... ; Podsakoff et al., 1996Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., & Bommer, W. H. (1996). Transformational leader behaviors and substitutes for leadership as determinants of employee satisfaction, commitment, trust, and organizational citize. Journal of management, 22(2), 259-298. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0149-2063(96)90049-5 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0149-2063(96)90... )	Relational dimension: focus on the collective (Erhan et al., 2022Erhan, T., Uzunbacak, H. H., & Aydin, E. (2022). From conventional to digital leadership: Exploring digitalization of leadership and innovative work behavior. Management Research Review, 45(11), 1524-1543. http://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-05-2021-0338 http://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-05-2021-0338... ; Tigre et al., 2023Tigre, F. B., Curado, C., & Henriques, P. L. (2023). Digital leadership: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 30(1), 40-70. https://doi.org/10.1177/15480518221123132 https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051822112313... )
Emphasize the emotional side of the leader-follower relationship (Vizeu, 2011Vizeu, F. (2011). Uma aproximação entre liderança transformacional e teoria da ação comunicativa. RAM. Revista de Administração Mackenzie, 12, 53-81. https://repositorio.fgv.br/bitstreams/7a3b82f7-e339-49a7-9170-52728f86260a/download https://repositorio.fgv.br/bitstreams/7a... )	Ability to understand and deal with the emotions of people and their own (Kwiotkowska et al., 2021Kwiotkowska, A., Gajdzik, B., Wolniak, R., Vveinhardt, J., & Gębczyńska, M. (2021). Leadership competencies in making Industry 4.0 effective: the case of Polish heat and power industry. Energies, 14(14), 1-22. http://doi.org/10.3390/en14144338 http://doi.org/10.3390/en14144338... ; Mdluli & Makhupe, 2017Mdluli, S., & Makhupe, O. (2017). Defining leadership competencies needed for the fourth industrialrevolution: leadership competencies 4.0. Africa Expansion Project. Bank Seta South Africa. https://www.bankseta.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bankseta_Defining-Leadership_Siboniso-Mdluli-Olebile-Makhupe.pdf https://www.bankseta.org.za/wp-content/u... )
Goes beyond the exchange of incentives and presupposes the self-development and intellectual stimulation of followers (Carvalho Neto et al., 2012Carvalho, A. M., Neto, Tanure, B., Santos, C. M. M., & Lima, G. S. (2012). Executivos brasileiros: na contramão do perfil deificado da liderança transformacional. Revista de Ciências da Administração, 14(32), 35-49. https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-8077.2012v14n32p35 https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-8077.2012v1... )	Create conditions for the development of people (Guzmán et al., 2020Guzmán, V. E., Muschard, B., Gerolamo, M., Kohl, H., & Rozenfeld, H. (2020). Characteristics and Skills of Leadership in the Context of Industry 4.0. Procedia Manufacturing, 43, 543-550. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2020.02.167 http://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2020.02.... ; Puhovichová & Jankelová, 2021Puhovichová, D., & Jankelová, N. (2021). Leadership in conditions of industry 4.0. In SHS Web of Conferences (Vol. 115, p. 03013). EDP Sciences.)
Individualized consideration: leaders seek to know each follower well, listen to their expectations, recognizing the differences between them (Bass, 1985Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. Free Press Google Schola 2. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.3930250310 https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.3930250310... ; Carvalho Neto et al., 2012Carvalho, A. M., Neto, Tanure, B., Santos, C. M. M., & Lima, G. S. (2012). Executivos brasileiros: na contramão do perfil deificado da liderança transformacional. Revista de Ciências da Administração, 14(32), 35-49. https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-8077.2012v14n32p35 https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-8077.2012v1... ; McDowelle, 2009McDowelle, J. O. (2009). A contemporary consideration of transformative leadership. Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 3(2), 1.; Vizeu, 2011Vizeu, F. (2011). Uma aproximação entre liderança transformacional e teoria da ação comunicativa. RAM. Revista de Administração Mackenzie, 12, 53-81. https://repositorio.fgv.br/bitstreams/7a3b82f7-e339-49a7-9170-52728f86260a/download https://repositorio.fgv.br/bitstreams/7a... )	Dealing with and accepting diversity (Črešnar & Nedelko, 2020Črešnar, R.; Nedelko. (2020). Understanding Future Leaders: How Are Personal Values of Generations Y and Z Tailored to Leadership in Industry 4.0? Sustainability, 12, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114417 https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114417... ; Herder-Wynne et al., 2017Herder-Wynne, F, Amato, R. & Weerd, F. U. (2017). Leadership 4.0: A review of thinking, ResearchReport. https://www.oxfordleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/OL-Leadership-4.0-%E2%80%93-A-review-of-the-thinking.pdf https://www.oxfordleadership.com/wp-cont... ; Mdluli & Makhupe, 2017Mdluli, S., & Makhupe, O. (2017). Defining leadership competencies needed for the fourth industrialrevolution: leadership competencies 4.0. Africa Expansion Project. Bank Seta South Africa. https://www.bankseta.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bankseta_Defining-Leadership_Siboniso-Mdluli-Olebile-Makhupe.pdf https://www.bankseta.org.za/wp-content/u... ); Ability to understand and deal with people’s emotions and one’s own (Kwiotkowska et al., 2021Kwiotkowska, A., Gajdzik, B., Wolniak, R., Vveinhardt, J., & Gębczyńska, M. (2021). Leadership competencies in making Industry 4.0 effective: the case of Polish heat and power industry. Energies, 14(14), 1-22. http://doi.org/10.3390/en14144338 http://doi.org/10.3390/en14144338... ; Mdluli & Makhupe, 2017)
Intellectual stimulation refers to the leader’s ability to provoke reflection, helping the followers to question their thoughts (Bass, 1985Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. Free Press Google Schola 2. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.3930250310 https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.3930250310... ; Vizeu, 2011Vizeu, F. (2011). Uma aproximação entre liderança transformacional e teoria da ação comunicativa. RAM. Revista de Administração Mackenzie, 12, 53-81. https://repositorio.fgv.br/bitstreams/7a3b82f7-e339-49a7-9170-52728f86260a/download https://repositorio.fgv.br/bitstreams/7a... )	Ability to create a learning culture (Abbu et al., 2022Abbu, H., Mugge, P., Gudergan, G., Hoeborn, G., & Kwiatkowski, A. (2022). Measuring the human dimensions of digital leadership for successful digital transformation. Research-Technology Management, 65(3), 39-49. https://doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2022.2048588 https://doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2022.20... ; Erhan et al., 2022Erhan, T., Uzunbacak, H. H., & Aydin, E. (2022). From conventional to digital leadership: Exploring digitalization of leadership and innovative work behavior. Management Research Review, 45(11), 1524-1543. http://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-05-2021-0338 http://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-05-2021-0338... ; Karippur & Balaramachandran, 2022Karippur, N. K., & Balaramachandran, P. R. (2022). Antecedents of effective digital leadership of enterprises in Asia Pacific. Australasian Journal of Information Systems, 26.)
Providing systematic feedback (Bass, 1985Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. Free Press Google Schola 2. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.3930250310 https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.3930250310... ; Carvalho Neto et al., 2012Carvalho, A. M., Neto, Tanure, B., Santos, C. M. M., & Lima, G. S. (2012). Executivos brasileiros: na contramão do perfil deificado da liderança transformacional. Revista de Ciências da Administração, 14(32), 35-49. https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-8077.2012v14n32p35 https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-8077.2012v1... ; McDowelle, 2009McDowelle, J. O. (2009). A contemporary consideration of transformative leadership. Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 3(2), 1.; Vizeu, 2011Vizeu, F. (2011). Uma aproximação entre liderança transformacional e teoria da ação comunicativa. RAM. Revista de Administração Mackenzie, 12, 53-81. https://repositorio.fgv.br/bitstreams/7a3b82f7-e339-49a7-9170-52728f86260a/download https://repositorio.fgv.br/bitstreams/7a... )	Communication and active listening skills (Guzmán et al., 2020Guzmán, V. E., Muschard, B., Gerolamo, M., Kohl, H., & Rozenfeld, H. (2020). Characteristics and Skills of Leadership in the Context of Industry 4.0. Procedia Manufacturing, 43, 543-550. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2020.02.167 http://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2020.02.... ; Kwiotkowska et al., 2021Kwiotkowska, A., Gajdzik, B., Wolniak, R., Vveinhardt, J., & Gębczyńska, M. (2021). Leadership competencies in making Industry 4.0 effective: the case of Polish heat and power industry. Energies, 14(14), 1-22. http://doi.org/10.3390/en14144338 http://doi.org/10.3390/en14144338... ; Petry, 2018Petry, T. (2018). Digital leadership. In Knowledge management in digital change: New findings and practical cases (pp. 209-218). Springer.; Puhovichová & Jankelová, 2021Puhovichová, D., & Jankelová, N. (2021). Leadership in conditions of industry 4.0. In SHS Web of Conferences (Vol. 115, p. 03013). EDP Sciences.)

	Behavioral	Transformational	Situational	Relational	Digital
Referenced authors	Likert (1961Likert, R. (1961). New patterns of management. McGraw-Hill.); Blake & Mouton (1978Blake, R. R., & Mouton, J. S. (1978). Toward a general theory of consultation. The Personnel and Guidance Journal, 56(6), 328-330. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2164-4918.1978.tb04640.x https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2164-4918.1978... )	Burns (1978Burns, G. P. (1978). The Principles of Leadership. ERIC Clearinghouse.); Bass (1985Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. Free Press Google Schola 2. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.3930250310 https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.3930250310... ); Bass and Avolio (1990); Gomes and Cruz (2007Gomes, A. R., & Cruz, J. (2007). Abordagem carismática e transformacional: Modelos conceptuais e contributos para o exercício da liderança. Psicologia USP, 18, 143-161. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-65642007000300008 https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-6564200700... ); McDowelle (2009McDowelle, J. O. (2009). A contemporary consideration of transformative leadership. Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 3(2), 1.); Vizeu (2011Vizeu, F. (2011). Uma aproximação entre liderança transformacional e teoria da ação comunicativa. RAM. Revista de Administração Mackenzie, 12, 53-81. https://repositorio.fgv.br/bitstreams/7a3b82f7-e339-49a7-9170-52728f86260a/download https://repositorio.fgv.br/bitstreams/7a... ); Carvalho Neto et al. (2012Carvalho, A. M., Neto, Tanure, B., Santos, C. M. M., & Lima, G. S. (2012). Executivos brasileiros: na contramão do perfil deificado da liderança transformacional. Revista de Ciências da Administração, 14(32), 35-49. https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-8077.2012v14n32p35 https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-8077.2012v1... )	Fiedler (1967Fiedler, F. E. (1967). A theory of leadership effectiveness. Mcgraw-hill series in management. McGraw-Hill.); Hersey & Blanchard (1969Hersey, P., & Blanchard, K. H. (1969). Management of organizational behavior: Utilizing human resources. Prentice Hall.)	Uhl-Bien (2003Uhl-Bien, M. (2003). Relationship development as a key ingredient for leadership development (pp. 129-147). In S. Murphy & R. Riggio (Eds.), The future of leadership development. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates., 2006); Ospina et al. (2014Ospina, S. M., Kersh, R., & Quick, K. S. (2014). Taking a relational turn in leadership studies. Public Administration Review, 74(4), 542-544. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24029443 https://www.jstor.org/stable/24029443... ); Sant’Anna et al. (2015Sant’Anna, A. D. S., Nelson, R. E., & Carvalho Neto, A. M. (2015). Fundamentos e dimensões da liderança relacional. DOM-Revista da Fundação Dom Cabral, 9, 16-21.); Uhl-Bien and Arena (2018); Mendes et al. (2021Mendes, L. D., Sant’Anna, A. D. S., & Diniz, D. M. (2021). Liderança relacional e modernidade organizacional em firmas de advocacia de Belém do Pará. Revista Direito GV, 17, e2140.)	Mdluli and Makhupe (2017Mdluli, S., & Makhupe, O. (2017). Defining leadership competencies needed for the fourth industrialrevolution: leadership competencies 4.0. Africa Expansion Project. Bank Seta South Africa. https://www.bankseta.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bankseta_Defining-Leadership_Siboniso-Mdluli-Olebile-Makhupe.pdf https://www.bankseta.org.za/wp-content/u... ); Herder-Wynne et al. (2017Herder-Wynne, F, Amato, R. & Weerd, F. U. (2017). Leadership 4.0: A review of thinking, ResearchReport. https://www.oxfordleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/OL-Leadership-4.0-%E2%80%93-A-review-of-the-thinking.pdf https://www.oxfordleadership.com/wp-cont... ); Oberer and Erkollar (2018Oberer, B. & Erkollar, A. (2018). Leadership 4.0: Digital Leaders in the Age of Industry 4.0. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 7(4), 404-412. https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2018.6033 https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2018.6033... ); Kelly (2018Kelly, R. (2018). Constructing leadership 4.0: Swarm leadership and the fourth industrial revolution. Springer.); Abbu et al. (2022Abbu, H., Mugge, P., Gudergan, G., Hoeborn, G., & Kwiatkowski, A. (2022). Measuring the human dimensions of digital leadership for successful digital transformation. Research-Technology Management, 65(3), 39-49. https://doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2022.2048588 https://doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2022.20... ); Erhan et al. (2022Erhan, T., Uzunbacak, H. H., & Aydin, E. (2022). From conventional to digital leadership: Exploring digitalization of leadership and innovative work behavior. Management Research Review, 45(11), 1524-1543. http://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-05-2021-0338 http://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-05-2021-0338... ); Tigre et al. (2023Tigre, F. B., Curado, C., & Henriques, P. L. (2023). Digital leadership: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 30(1), 40-70. https://doi.org/10.1177/15480518221123132 https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051822112313... )
Concept of leadership	Leadership is behavior and therefore is not a personality trait. The goal is to understand the behaviors adopted by effective leaders.	Leadership is the ability to influence and mobilize followers through an ideal recognized as legitimate by the followers and shared values.	Leading is an adaptive and dynamic process, influenced by: the followers profile, behavior and relationship, the situation and the context (internal and external to the organization).	Leadership is a process of social influence resulting from the links between the individual, the organization, and the environment, occurring in different directions. It places multilateral relations at the center of the analysis.	It refers to the combination of leadership attributes with digital technologies that support the decision-making process. Leaders manage the digital transformation processes of organizations and adapt multiple leadership theories.
Leadership attributes	They vary on a continuum: concern for people and concern for production (tasks, efficiency, and goals). The effective leader generally has a high orientation toward people, paying attention to the needs, interests, and well-being of subordinates.	The leader’s ability to articulate a collective vision and communicate it enthusiastically. Importance that the leader gives to collective values, surpassing individual interests.	The attributes of an effective leader depend on both internal and external variables. Therefore, there is no universally accepted leadership model, as situational theory highlights the contingent and changing nature of leadership.	Ability to build and maintain relationships with people within and outside the organization. Ability to communicate and build bonds of trust with people.	It involves social relationship skills; human skills (focus on people); digital and technological capabilities; and adaptability and innovation skills.
Criticism	Excessive focus on the figure of the leader and their behaviors. Places contextual and situational variables in the background. Little emphasis on vision and values to inspire individuals.	Excessive focus on internal factors of the organization. Little dedication to investigating environmental variables that impact leadership. Naive characterization of the leader as a superman, possessing all possible qualities.	It is criticized for its excessive simplicity and lack of consideration for other factors that influence leadership effectiveness. Focuses on the leader-follower relationship and the environment in which they operate, neglecting the multilateral relationships among different agents.	It is a complex and somehow abstract theory, lacking elements for its practical implementation. Excessive focus on relationships, overshadowing aspects such as effectiveness and goal attainment. Leaders who focus on pleasing everyone can be negatively influenced.	Excessive emphasis on the technological dimension. Isn’t it more of the same? In other words, competencies already emphasized in previous theories? Naive characterization of the leader with all possible qualities.

Dimension	Digital leadership attributes related to previous theories
Relational	Shared leadership that promotes high levels of collaboration as well as in the relational theory
	Ability to develop transparent and trustworthy relationships as well as in the relational theory
	Capacity for communication and active listening as well as in the transformational theory
	Ability to establish relational networks as well as in the relational theory
People-centered focus	Ability to create conditions for the development of individuals as well as in the relational, behavioral, transformational, and situational theories
	Ability to mobilize people toward objectives as well as in the relational, behavioral, transformational, and situational theories
	Dealing with and accepting diversity as well as in the relational theory
	Ability to understand and manage both others’ and one’s own emotions as well as in the relational theory
Digital	Capacity to learn and apply new digital technologies as well as in the situational theory
	Ability to lead teams in virtual environments as well as in the situational theory
	Capacity to implement a digital mindset within the organization as well as in the situational theory
Innovation and adaptability	Ability to create a culture of learning as well as in the relational theory
	Adaptability to rapidly changing contexts as well as in the situational theory
	Creative and innovative thinking as well as in the transformational theory
	Vision for the future as well as in the transformational theory
	Acceptance and management of complexity and uncertainty as well as in the situational theory

[1] Corresponding author:
Daniela Martins Diniz Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, Departamento de Ciências Administrativas e Contábeis Av. Leite de Castro, n. 847, Fábricas, CEP 36301-182, São João del-Rei, MG, Brazil

Brasil

Brasil

Digital Leadership: Much Ado about Nothing?

ABSTRACT

Objective:

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