Building Digital-Ready Leaders: Development and Validation of the Human-Centric Digital Leadership Scale

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.