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ABSTRACT

Digital transformation in higher education is widely assumed to benefit from stronger institutional digital leadership, yet it remains unclear whether that benefit holds equally for all teachers. This study examined how university teachers’ perceptions of digital leadership are associated with their information and communication technology (ICT) competency, and whether teaching experience moderated this association. Drawing on the technology-organization-environment framework and social cognitive theory as complementary lenses, this study collected survey data from 397 university teachers in China. Data were analyzed using structural equation modelling and moderated regression. Digital leadership was positively associated with teachers’ ICT competency. Its five dimensions were also positively and comparably associated with ICT competency, with no statistically significant differences in path strength. Teaching experience moderated the overall association, which was stronger among less-experienced teachers and weaker among more-experienced teachers. These findings reframe digital leadership as an organizational condition whose value is bounded by career stage and point to career-stage-sensitive rather than uniform support for teachers. By specifying an organization-to-individual account of digital transformation and identifying teaching experience as a boundary condition, this study extends digital leadership research in higher education.

Keywords: digital leadership, ICT competency, teaching experience, technology-organization-environment framework, higher education