Leadership Behaviors Supporting Digital Organizational Maturity: A Qualitative Study of Technology-Driven Firms
Keywords:
digital organizational maturity, digital transformation, digital leadership, technology-driven firms, qualitative research, semi-structured interviewsAbstract
This study aimed to explore how leadership behaviors support digital organizational maturity in technology-driven firms operating in Tehran. A qualitative research design was adopted to examine leadership behaviors associated with the development of digital organizational maturity. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 24 participants, including senior executives, middle managers, product leaders, digital transformation managers, and technology team leads from technology-driven firms in Tehran. Participants were selected through purposive sampling based on direct experience with digital transformation, technology-enabled strategy, data-driven operations, agile work systems, and digital capability development. Interviews continued until theoretical saturation was reached; saturation was observed after the twenty-first interview, and three additional interviews were conducted to confirm the stability of the emerging categories. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis. NVivo software was used to organize transcripts, manage codes, compare emerging categories, and support systematic retrieval of participant quotations. Analysis generated four main categories of leadership behavior supporting digital maturity: strategic digital sensegiving, empowerment of experimentation and cross-functional collaboration, human-centered digital capability development, and governance-oriented institutionalization of digital routines. Participants emphasized that digitally mature organizations were not defined only by technology adoption but by leaders’ ability to connect digital initiatives to strategic priorities, create tolerance for experimentation, develop employee confidence in digital work, and establish governance mechanisms for scalable, ethical, and data-informed decision-making. The findings suggest that leadership behaviors play a decisive role in moving firms from fragmented digital initiatives toward integrated digital maturity. Leaders support maturity when they combine strategic clarity, agile experimentation, employee development, psychological safety, data discipline, and digital governance. The study contributes to digital transformation and leadership literature by identifying behavioral mechanisms through which leaders translate technology investments into organizational maturity.
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