Digital Leadership- Challenges and Promises of Digital Transformation for Higher Education Through a Critical Review

The advent of Industry 4.0 and the Covid-19 pandemic created a disruptive shift towards digital leadership in promoting digital transformation across many sectors. However, there remains a paucity of related research especially within the Higher Education Sector. Through a critical review method, this chapter contributed to addressing this gap to create more understanding of the opportunities, challenges and factors informing the adoption of Digital Leadership the sector. Key findings suggest that Digital Leadership can positively reshape Higher Education by fostering innovation, improving efficiency and enhancing teaching and learning experiences. Digital Leadership connects stakeholders and breaks down silos. Challenges hindering Digital Leadership included lack of clear vision, resistance to change, fragmented strategies and ethical concerns. Factors for successful adoption of Digital Leadership requires a clear vision aligned with strategic goals, investment in digital literacy skills development and fostering a digital culture that supports continuous learning and adaptability.