In an era characterized by rapidly changing technological landscapes, public sector organizations find themselves in a pressing need to initiate efficient digital transformation programs for digital government. Managing digital transformation initiatives has grown increasingly complex, as leaders are often confronted with a plethora of demands that can be conflicting and, at times, difficult to determine and prioritize, especially if any aspect of the capability to transform is missing. Consequently, it has become vital to gain a clear understanding of digital leadership for both practitioners and academics. In this article, we conducted a comprehensive scoping review of recent studies on digital leadership and the individuals who exemplify it – digital leaders. Our thematic analysis allowed us to categorize our findings into succinct conceptual areas including the definition of digital leadership, the theoretical underpinnings, competencies inherent to digital leadership capabilities, critical success factors, and the role of digital leadership within public sector organizations.

In launching whole-of-government approaches such as the New Zealand Strategy for a Digital Public Service (SDPS) or agency's digital strategies, a critical success factor in digital strategy execution is ensuring that strategies and accountabilities across government agencies align with these key government initiatives. Alignment also needs to flow into job design, job role accountabilities, job descriptions and work activities. It is in this aligning strategy with job roles, accountabilities, and the required digital leadership (DLS) competencies where the technical ability to achieve the desired outcomes lies. Using a qualitative document analysis methodology and Schippmann's people and work pyramid models of Strategic Job Modelling, we conducted a descriptive study on the strategic alignment of an agency's digital strategy (reflected in their Statement of Intent), the SDPS with DLS job role accountabilities and the competencies required for senior digital leaders in the New Zealand public sector. Analysing data from three government agencies we discover systemic misalignment and, in this process, provide an enhanced digital leadership competency set for the public sector, comparing this with how the required and espoused digital competencies of digital leaders align with their job/role accountabilities. Finally, we discussed the implications for digital strategy execution providing five actionable insights.

Until recently, firms with competent enterprise information and technology governance created medium-term competitive advantages within their industry sectors. They did this through: using digital disruption; creating new business models; providing a superior customer experience; digitizing business operations; developing approaches to internal and external communications; the building of large and engaged online communities, and many other strategies with information and technology at the core. As capability grows, market leaders will use innovative digital strategies to both further develop and protect the value created, and develop the capability to transform their organizations rapidly. Digital leaders increase the urgency for all boards to govern information and technology as strategic assets. Increasingly, the existence of competency around GEIT within the board room will be needed to not only gain advantage, but to merely achieve parity with those who have recognized its essential nature as a new core competency. Those who remain in the denial of the need to build IT capability at all levels risk joining the growing list of once-leading firms left behind in the digital cloud of smoke that characterizes the current and emerging operating environment.

Information and technology and its use in organisation transformation presents unprecedented opportunities and risks. Increasingly, the Governance of Enterprise Information and Technology (GEIT) competency in the board room and executive is needed. Whether your organization is small or large, public, private or not for profit or whether your industry is not considered high-tech, IT is impacting your sector – no exceptions. But there is a skill shortage in boards: GEIT capability is concerningly low. This capability is urgently needed across the board, including those directors who come from finance, legal, marketing, operations and HR backgrounds. Digital disruption also affects all occupations. Putting in place a vision will help ensure emergency responses will meet technology-related duty of care responsibilities. When GEIT-related forward thinking and planning is carried out at the same time that you put your business strategy and plan in place, your organization has a significantly increased chance of not only surviving, but thriving into the future. Those organizations that don’t build GEIT capability risk joining the growing list of once-leading firms left behind in the digital ‘cloud of smoke’. Those organizations that do will be better placed to reap the benefits and hedge against the risks of a digital world. This chapter provides actionable, research-based considerations and processes for boards to use, to build awareness, knowledge and skills in governing technology-related organization strategy, risk and value creation.

With the level of digital disruption that is affecting businesses around the globe, you might expect high levels of Governance of Enterprise Information and Technology (GEIT) capability within boards. Boards and their senior executives know technology is important. More than 90% of boards and senior executives currently identify technology as essential to their current businesses, and to their organization’s future. But as few as 16% have sufficient GEIT capability. Global Centre for Digital Business Transformation’s recent research contains strong indicators of the need for change. Despite board awareness of both the likelihood and impact of digital disruption, things digital are still not viewed as a board-level matter in 45% of companies. And, it’s not just the board. The lack of board attention to technology can be mirrored at senior executive level as well. When asked about their organization’s attitude towards digital disruption, 43% of executives said their business either did not recognise it as a priority or was not responding appropriately. A further 32% were taking a “follower” approach, a potentially risky move as we will explain. Given all the evidence that boards know information and technology (I&T***) is vital, that they understand the inevitably, impact and speed of digital change and disruption, why are so many boards dragging their heels? Ignoring I&T disruption and refusing to build capability at board level is nothing short of negligence. Too many boards risk flying blind without GEIT capability [2]. To help build decision quality and I&T governance capability, this research: • Confirms a pressing need to build individual competency and cumulative, across-board capability in governing I&T • Identifies six factors that have rapidly increased the need, risk and urgency • Finds that boards may risk not meeting their duty of care responsibilities when it comes to I&T oversight • Highlights barriers to building capability details three GEIT competencies that boards and executives can use for evaluation, selection, recruitment and professional development.

The competent leadership of digital transformation needs to involve the board of directors.The reported lack of such capability in boards is becoming a pressing issue.A part of leadership in such transformation is the board of director's competence to lead Enterprise Business Technology Governance (EBTG).In this paper we take the position that EBTG competencies are essential in boards, because competent EBTG has been shown to contribute to increased revenue, profit, and returns.We update and expand on the results of a multi-method approach to the development of a set of three board of director competencies needed for effective EBTG.

. The call to have digital-savvy board members and non-IT senior executives is growing globally. Yet the gap between the majority of senior executives knowing this is essential and their acting to raise their individual and collective enterprise business technology governance (EBTG) competency is large. This raises issues for boards and executives. The role of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) is important in influencing and in building EBTG awareness and competence in the wider executive team as well as in the board. This article suggests three roles CIOs can play in digital leadership and in reinventing IT as a top business priority.

Considering the sheer speed, complexity and ever changing risk in today’s technology saturated business environment, it’s hardly surprising that the call for digitally savvy directors is increasing. Emerging research suggests serious consequences for boards that continue to ignore or delegate enterprise-level technology governance.

In relation to enterprise technology governance (ETG), opinions differ between there being no need for board of director involvement to there being an urgent need for such involvement. This research highlights the need for boards to provide ETG oversight of technology-related strategy, investment and risk, and to be competent in doing so. We identify a large gap between board’s awareness of the importance of ETG, their taking action and the competency requirements for effective ETG. Further, while there is considerable research and literature about operational IT governance frameworks and operational IT competencies, there is no known research into the specific competencies boards of directors need to effectively govern enterprise technology. This research focuses on and develops a board-level ETG competency set using a mixed methods approach within a recognised competency development framework. Further development is tracked using a rigour scale to demonstrate a medium to high level of competency validity for the derived set. This research contributes to practice by providing the first known industry validated ETG competency set situated within new and emerging technology. It contributes to the body of knowledge in the modification and application of competency development and competency validation frameworks not previously applied to the role of board director.

In an increasingly business technology (BT) dependent world, the impact of the extraordinary changes brought about by the nexus of mobile and cloud technologies, social media and big data is increasingly being felt in the board room. As leaders of enterprises of every type and size, board directors can no longer afford to ignore, delegate or avoid BT-related decisions. Competitive, financial and reputational risk is increased if boards fail to recognize their role in governing technology as an asset and in removing barriers to improving enterprise business technology governance (EBTG). Directors’ awareness of the need for EBTG is increasing. However, industry research shows that board level willingness to rectify the gap between awareness and action is very low or non-existent. This literature review-based research identifies barriers to EBTG effectiveness. It provides a practical starting point for board analysis. We offer four outcomes that boards might focus on to ensure the organizations they govern are not left behind by those led by the upcoming new breed of technology-savvy leaders. Most extant research looks backward for examples, examining data pre-2010, the time when a tipping point in the personal and business use of multimedia and mobile internet devices significantly deepened the impacts of the identified nexus technology forces, and began rapidly changing the way in which many businesses engage with their customers, employees and stakeholders. We situate our work amidst these nexus forces, discuss the board's role in EBTG in this context and modernize current definitions of enterprise technology governance. The primary limitation faced is the lack of scholarly research relating to EBTG in the rapidly changing digital economy. Although we have used recent (2011–2013) industry surveys, the volume of these surveys and congruence across them is significant in terms of levels of increased awareness and calls for increased board attention and competency in EBTG and strategic information use. Where possible, we have used scholarly research to illustrate or discuss industry findings.