Examining the Impact of Hybrid Leadership on Organizational Performance and Innovation in the Digital Economy

This study examines the impact of hybrid leadership on organizational performance, employee engagement, and innovation in the U.S. IT industry within the digital economy. Hybrid leadership integrates transformational and transactional styles and offers solutions to digital economy challenges. A quantitative causal-comparative design was used to survey 159 IT leaders with the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Rater Form (5X-Short) and additional organizational performance measures. The results revealed that hybrid leaders exhibiting both transformational and transactional behaviors showed significantly higher leadership effectiveness. Hybrid leadership was also positively correlated with improved performance, increased employee engagement, and innovation. Statistical analyses, including t tests, Spearman's rank-order correlation, and ANOVA, provided robust evidence supporting hybrid leadership's advantages. These findings contribute to the leadership literature and offer practical insights for organizations seeking to enhance leadership strategies in the rapidly evolving IT sector.