Leadership Identity Reconstruction During Digital Transformation: A Phenomenological Investigation
Keywords:
leadership identity, digital transformation, phenomenology, digital leadership, identity work, Tehran, qualitative researchAbstract
This study aimed to explore how organizational leaders reconstruct their leadership identity during digital transformation and how they make sense of authority, competence, relational influence, and ethical responsibility in digitally mediated work environments. A qualitative phenomenological design was adopted to investigate the lived experiences of leaders involved in digital transformation initiatives in Tehran-based organizations. Participants were selected through purposive sampling from private, public, and semi-public organizations undergoing digitalization, platformization, automation, or data-driven restructuring. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 leaders, including senior executives, middle managers, project managers, and digital transformation coordinators. Interviews continued until theoretical saturation was reached, and each interview lasted approximately 50 to 75 minutes. Data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis supported by NVivo software. The analysis involved repeated reading, open coding, clustering of meaning units, category development, and interpretive synthesis of the shared essence of leadership identity reconstruction. The findings revealed four main categories: identity destabilization and loss of expert-centered authority, transition from command-based leadership to facilitative digital orchestration, relational renegotiation of trust and influence in hybrid human–technology systems, and emergence of a reflexive learning-oriented leadership identity. Participants described digital transformation as a disruptive experience that challenged their previous self-understanding as decision-makers, technical experts, and controllers of organizational processes. However, they also reported developing new identity scripts based on learning agility, collaborative sensemaking, ethical data use, and the ability to mobilize people around uncertain technological futures. Leadership identity reconstruction during digital transformation is not merely a cognitive adaptation to new tools but a deep phenomenological process through which leaders reinterpret who they are, how they influence others, and what responsible leadership means in digitally transformed organizations.
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