Competencies of strategic leadership in an academic library during a digital era

Orientation: Strategic leaders of South African academic libraries are key in strategy work, but researchers lack knowledge about their competencies in leading libraries during the digital era. Academic librarians are reshaping into digital curators and educators, addressing an identity crisis because of the integration of technology into library information services and the transition to the web. Research purpose: This study investigates the key competencies of strategic academic library leaders in Durban, South Africa, for effective digital leadership in a public university. Motivation for the study: There is a need for scholarly work to fill the gap in the under-researched area of competencies of strategic leadership considered key to leading an academic library during a digital era. Research design, approach and method: The study utilised a qualitative approach, collecting interview data from nine top management team members of an academic library and analysing it using thematic analysis. Main findings: The study identifies eight key competencies: sensing and clarifying strategic direction, strategic thinking, collective and shared excellence, creating and reinforcing strategic alignment, leveraging technological proficiency for productivity, leadership agility, developing people and programmes to navigate digital change and e-leading of hybrid teams. Practical/managerial implications: Based on these findings, a framework of competencies for the strategic leadership of an academic library during the digital era is proposed. Contribution/value-add: Strategic leaders, talent managers and line managers can utilise a framework to identify competencies and deficiencies crucial for developing future catalyst strategic leaders in academic libraries, particularly in the digital era.