ABSTRACT
Objective
This research examines the effect of digital leadership on the psychological well-being of female employees, exploring the mediating role of work–family balance and the moderating effect of digital transformation intensity.
Background
Grounded in Conservation of Resources (COR) and Boundary theories, this study investigates how leadership and evolving digital work environments interact to shape employee well-being and boundaries.
Methods
Data were collected from 395 female employees across various sectors in Türkiye. The proposed moderated mediation model was tested using Hayes’ PROCESS Macro.
Results
Digital leadership positively predicts psychological well-being, both directly and indirectly through the mediating role of work–family balance. Furthermore, the moderation analysis reveals that the intensity of digital transformation negatively moderates the relationship between digital leadership and work–family balance; specifically, the positive impact of digital leadership slightly diminishes in highly digitized work environments.
Conclusion
The findings confirm that while digital leadership enhances psychological well-being and work–family balance, the benefits of this leadership are challenged and slightly weakened when the intensity of digital transformation is very high.
Implications or Recommendations
Effective digital leadership must go beyond mere technology adoption. It is strongly recommended that organizations implement boundary-management practices to protect employees’ work–family balance, particularly in rapidly changing and highly digitized contexts.