28. April 2021 : New publication in the Journal of Business Economics

The paper "The digital leader: what one needs to master today's organizational challenges" by Prof. Dr. Julia Müller, University of Osnabrück, and Dr. Milan F. Klus, University of Münster, has been published in the Journal of Business Economics (JBE) (open access). For more information, see:

link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11573-021-01040-1

Abstract: Managers increasingly face various challenges associated with digitization, notably dealing with many issues simultaneously, the flood of information flowing in through digital channels, rapid change, and finding the right balance between the old and the new. Building on a growing body of research suggesting and systematizing leadership competencies, we conduct an online survey with leaders to explore the relationship between selected skills and the ability to deal with specific challenges. We find that a strong ability to think and act entrepreneurially, (self-)organizational and IT skills, a strong ability to motivate others, and high levels of flexibility, commitment, and creativity are positively associated with the ability to deal with various digitization-related challenges. Surprisingly, being a strong team player does not necessarily seem to be an advantage. In addition, many managers would like to see more composure, which suggests that the ability to decelerate is important in the digital age.