When Does Leadership Promote Online Knowledge Sharing? The Moderating Role of Digital Culture

ABSTRACT This study investigates the conditions under which leadership promotes online knowledge sharing in digitally transforming organizations. While leadership has long been associated with collaborative behaviors, less is known about how its effects operate within digital contexts characterized by varying levels of cultural readiness. Drawing on transformational leadership theory, Learning Organization Theory, and Open Systems Theory, we develop and test a structural model examining creativity and digital culture as explanatory mechanisms. Using data from 419 employees in manufacturing firms in Türkiye and structural equation modeling techniques, the findings reveal that leadership exerts a direct positive effect on online knowledge sharing. However, contrary to conventional assumptions, creativity and digital culture do not mediate this relationship. Instead, digital culture functions as a boundary condition that strengthens leadership effectiveness in digitally mature environments. These findings advance leadership research by demonstrating that digital culture amplifies rather than transmits leadership influence, and that creativity alone does not guarantee knowledge contribution. The study offers a context‐sensitive perspective on leadership effectiveness in the digital age.