THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONAL FLEXIBILITY ON IMPROVING JOB PERFORMANCE: A SAMPLE OF CLUB PRESIDENTS IN THE IRAQI FOOTBALL LEAGUE

• Mustafa Qasim Al-Malji

  University of Misan, Al-Amarah, Iraq

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the impact of digital leadership and organizational flexibility on improving job performance in sports clubs, through a field study on a sample of club presidents and coaches in the Iraqi Football League. Method: The study adopted a descriptive-analytical approach, and data were collected using an electronic questionnaire designed according to a five-point Likert scale. The study sample consisted of (103) individuals, and the data were analyzed using statistical packages. The SPSS version 25 and AMOS version 25 were used, along with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), to test the study hypotheses. Results: The descriptive analysis revealed that the level of digital leadership practice and organizational flexibility in sports clubs was moderate to high, while the level of job performance was relatively high. Reliability testing also demonstrated a high degree of internal consistency in the research instrument, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.950, indicating its reliability. The correlation analysis revealed strong and statistically significant positive correlations between the three study variables. The impact analysis also showed that digital leadership has a very good effect on how well people do their jobs with a score of 0.525. Novelty: This indicates that adopting digital leadership practices and enhancing organizational flexibility clearly contribute to improving job performance within sports institutions.

[1] O. A. El Sawy, P. Kræmmergaard, H. Amsinck, and A. L. Vinther, “How leaders can guide digital transformation,” MIS Quarterly Executive, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 39–54, 2020.

[2] G. Westerman, D. Bonnet, and A. McAfee, Leading digital: Turning technology into business transformation. Harvard Business Review Press, 2020.

[3] L. Cortellazzo, E. Bruni, and R. Zampieri, “The role of leadership in a digitalized world: A review,” Front. Psychol., vol. 12, pp. 1–15, 2021.

[4] G. C. Kane, A. N. Phillips, J. Copulsky, and G. Andrus, The technology fallacy. MIT Press, 2021.

[5] S. Zeike, K. Bradbury, L. Lindert, and H. Pfaff, “Digital leadership skills and associations with psychological well-being,” Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 1–15, 2022.

[6] P. G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and practice, 9th ed. Sage Publications, 2022.

[7] G. Vial, “Understanding digital transformation: A review and a research agenda,” The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 2021.

[8] G. George, R. Merrill, and S. Schillebeeckx, “Digital sustainability and leadership,” Academy of Management Perspectives, 2021.

[9] B. Oberer and A. Erkollar, “Leadership in digital transformation,” International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 2020.

[10] M. Fitzgerald, N. Kruschwitz, D. Bonnet, and M. Welch, Embracing digital technology. MIT Sloan Management Review, 2020.

[11] P. C. Verhoef et al., “Digital transformation: A multidisciplinary reflection and research agenda,” J. Bus. Res., vol. 122, pp. 889–901, 2021.

[12] S. Nambisan, M. Wright, and M. Feldman, “The digital transformation of innovation,” Res. Policy, 2020.

[13] J. Shin, S. Lee, and M. Kim, “Organizational flexibility and innovation,” Sustainability, vol. 12, no. 8, pp. 1–15, 2020.

[14] J. Shin, M. Taylor, and M. Seo, “Organizational resources and flexibility,” Journal of Management Studies, 2020.

[15] U. Bamel, V. Pereira, K. Mellahi, and Y. Temouri, “Human resource flexibility and organizational resilience,” The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 2021.

[16] Y. Gao, Y. Li, and Y. Luo, “Operational flexibility and firm performance,” J. Bus. Res., vol. 139, pp. 1–12, 2022.

[17] R. Dubey, A. Gunasekaran, and D. Bryde, “Organizational flexibility and supply chain resilience,” Int. J. Prod. Res., vol. 59, no. 1, pp. 110–128, 2021.

[18] B. Hinings, T. Gegenhuber, and R. Greenwood, “Digital innovation and transformation,” Organization Studies, 2020.

[19] H. W. Volberda, F. A. J. Van Den Bosch, and O. R. Mihalache, “Organizational flexibility and management innovation,” J. Manage., 2021.

[20] D. J. Teece, “Dynamic capabilities and organizational flexibility,” Strategic Management Journal, 2023.

[21] D. Ivanov and A. Dolgui, “Digital supply chain resilience and operational flexibility,” Int. J. Prod. Res., vol. 59, no. 3, 2021.

[22] K. Jiang, D. Lepak, J. Hu, and J. Baer, “Human resource systems and organizational flexibility,” Academy of Management Journal, 2022.

[23] I. Beltrán-Martín and J. Bou-Llusar, “Human resource flexibility and firm performance,” Human Resource Management Review, 2023.

[24] L. Koopmans, C. M. Bernaards, V. H. Hildebrandt, H. C. W. de Vet, and A. J. van der Beek, “Measuring individual work performance,” J. Occup. Environ. Med., vol. 62, no. 1, pp. 34–42, 2020.

[25] N. P. Podsakoff, S. W. Whiting, P. M. Podsakoff, and B. D. Blume, “Individual- and organizational-level consequences of organizational citizenship behaviors,” Journal of Applied Psychology, vol. 106, no. 4, pp. 554–572, 2021.

[26] S. Sonnentag, L. Venz, and A. Casper, “Advances in job performance research,” Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, vol. 9, pp. 1–25, 2022.

[27] P. E. Spector and S. Fox, “Counterproductive work behavior,” in APA handbook of industrial and organizational psychology, vol. 3, American Psychological Association, 2020, pp. 151–174.

• View Article

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.