DIGITAL LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES FOR EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATORS IN CHINA: GOVERNING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN CHINESE HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

Digital transformation in Chinese higher education has moved from infrastructure provision and resource digitization toward platform integration, artificial intelligence, data-informed administration, and the redesign of teaching, research, and services. This transition increases the responsibility of educational administrators because technological adoption can create educational value only when strategy, academic judgment, organizational capability, ethics, and accountability are aligned. This article examines the digital leadership competencies required of educational administrators in Chinese higher education. It argues that digital leadership should not be understood as technical proficiency alone. Rather, it is an educational and organizational capability through which administrators establish a shared digital vision, mobilize institutional resources, develop staff capacity, guide pedagogical change, and ensure that technological innovation serves educational quality, equity, and public value. The article synthesizes literature on digital transformation, e-leadership, and higher-education leadership to propose five interconnected competency areas: digital, data, and artificial-intelligence knowledge; strategic and managerial skills; pedagogical judgment; relational and change-leadership capacity; and ethical and inclusive competence. It then analyzes the implications of these competencies for educational policy, university governance, organizational management, teachers, students, and technology partners. In the Chinese context, the article contends that administrators must translate national policy ambitions into differentiated institutional strategies that account for variations in resources, institutional missions, disciplinary characteristics, and regional conditions. The article concludes that digital transformation in Chinese higher education will be sustainable only when administrators combine strategic leadership with educational judgment, collaborative capacity, and ethical responsibility.