THE APPLICATION OF DIGITAL LEADERSHIP FOR CHINESE HIGHER EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATORS

Abstract

Digital transformation has fundamentally changed higher education governance, requiring administrators to adopt new leadership approaches that effectively integrate digital technologies into institutional management. This paper examines the application of digital leadership in higher education administration through a comprehensive review of recent literature. Rather than focusing solely on the conceptual dimensions of digital leadership, the study explores how digital leadership is applied in strategic planning, institutional governance, organizational innovation, and data-driven decision-making. The analysis indicates that effective digital leadership enables higher education administrators to improve governance efficiency, promote organizational innovation, strengthen digital culture, and support sustainable institutional development. The study further identifies major implementation challenges, including digital competency gaps, organizational resistance, infrastructure limitations, and policy coordination. Finally, practical recommendations are proposed to enhance administrators’ digital leadership capabilities and facilitate successful digital transformation in higher education institutions. The findings contribute to the growing body of research on digital leadership by emphasizing its practical applications in university governance and providing useful implications for educational policymakers and institutional leaders (Jameson et al., 2022).