Digital Leadership in Medical Technology – Developing an Innovative Competency Profile for Successful Leadership in the Digital Age

This paper explores how leadership can be effectively applied in the medical technology sector amid digital transformation. The study addresses the central research question: “How and in what form can digital leadership be implemented in medical technology with regard to the competence requirements for leaders?” To answer this question, qualitative expert interviews were conducted to identify the key challenges for leaders in the digital age. These include maintaining trust in remote settings, increasing communication demands, ensuring customer and employee engagement, managing generational differences, supporting digital transformation in clinics, and addressing high psychological stress among employees. Based on these findings, a competency profile was developed, outlining the essential skills for successful leadership in a digitalized environment. The study reveals a shift in leadership focus from predominantly professional-methodical competencies toward social-communicative skills, while still recognizing the relevance of all four fundamental competency fields: personal competence, activity- and action-related competence, professional-methodical competence, and social-communicative competence. The proposed competency profile includes key skills such as empathy, communication, employee development, teamwork, adaptability, trust, self-management, speed, technological understanding, analytical skills, goal-oriented leadership, initiative, and a systematic-methodical approach. These competencies provide a foundation for leadership selection, evaluation, and development programs, ensuring that leaders are equipped to navigate the complexities of digital transformation in the medical technology sector.